Changes to Oldham's Remembrance plans as poppies adorn roads

People across Oldham are being reminded they can watch a Remembrance Service online from the Parish Church from 10.50am on Sunday (8 November), as together the borough pays its respects to those who lost their lives in war.

However, due to new national restrictions, the council say parts of the closed church service will no longer be live streamed as originally planned.

While the service will include a live segment of the clergy for prayers, the service will instead feature a number of pre-recorded sequences from Oldham’s communities, including the laying of wreaths at district memorials and an exhortation from the Mayor of Oldham.

There will also be a recording of the Last Post and Reville from Oldham's Music Centre and a reading of The Kohima Epitap.

Residents can watch the service on Remembrance Sunday via the council’s website at www.oldham.gov.uk/RemembranceSunday.

Council leader, Councillor Sean Fielding, said: “We are very sorry that national restrictions will now prevent us from holding our planned closed church service on Sunday.

“However, although some parts of the service may not now be broadcast live, the new arrangements will hopefully ensure that the broadcast is as meaningful and respectful as it would have been if we were able to be there in person.

“We would also like to remind everyone that they are very much invited to commemorate Remembrance this year from home; keeping everyone safe in these most challenging and difficult of times.

“We will be lighting the Civic Centre tower with poppies, as a visual reminder that the sacrifice of so many will never be forgotten. And we will also be encouraging people to support the Royal British Legion by visiting their website, making a donation to the Poppy Appeal and downloading a poppy poster to display at home.

“We know that people will be disappointed by the changes to our Remembrance events this year, as am I. But we can still pay our respects together in spirit, if not in person.”

As Oldham prepares to commemorate Remembrance Sunday a little differently this year, the council has marked roads with poppies as a small gesture to those who have given their lives for our freedom today.

These poignant road works, kindly designed by Highways contractor Kays Traffic Management free of charge, were laid on West Street in the town centre on Tuesday afternoon and are adjacent to Oldham's Civic Centre, which will display its weeklong projection of poppies from Wednesday evening.

The design features the wording ‘Lest we forget’ underneath the poppy and will act as a small reminder for years to come of those who have died in conflicts around the globe.

Shaun Hargreaves, Commercial Director at KAYS, added: “We are delighted to be able to offer our support as a way of commemorating our war heroes.

“We hope that the road poppies will provide a reminder that although we cannot stand together in remembrance in person this year, we will never forget the sacrifice made by the brave men and women for our freedom.

"We're really proud to have found a way to commemorate Remembrance Sunday in a safe and special way and they are a sign that we have all come through challenging times before and will get through them again through hope and perseverance."

For residents wishing to make a donation to the Poppy Appeal, they can do so visiting The Royal British Legion’s website www.britishlegion.org.uk. Additionally, you can add a tribute to their online field of remembrance and you can also download an A4 Poppy poster to display in your window.