THE CHAIRMAN of a district council has helped make and display poppies in the Tower of London centenary memorial.

Cllr Russell Lord, chairman of Richmondshire District Council, volunteered to help with the remembrance scheme to mark the centenary of WWI and joined others to help create 10,000 poppies to add to the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation.

Cllr Lord said: “It was a great opportunity to become part of such an historic event.

“To think that a staggering 888,246 poppies will be in the finished Sea of Red is amazing.

“And once the organisers found out that I was a council chairman I was then invited back and given a tour of the moat by the Yeoman of the Guards.”

Each poppy represents a British Military fatality during WWI. The installation started in August and the last poppy will be planted by November 11.

The poppies will then be sold and the money raised will be split between six military charities.