‘A compassion to remember and honour the city’s history’: Ripon Community Poppy Project’s ambitious D-Day tribute

The double landmark anniversary project, led by Ripon Community Poppy Project, has been underway for over 10 months, and will take place on Thursday, June 6.

Its most ambitious feature is a full scale model of the Churchill AVRE - Armoured Vehicle of the Royal Engineers.

The project's spearheads have stressed that ‘none of it would have been possible’ without the city’s remarkable community.

The unveiling will establish Ripon as a city capable of one of the most original, emotive, and compassionate tributes in the UK .

A member of Ripon Men’s SHED, said: “I was expecting something a bit smaller.

“When they said it is full scale I thought they must be loopy, but here we are.”

Another member, who also served in the military said: “A chap called Percy Hobart designed the original tank.

“They were called the Hobart’s Funnies, and very successful during the landings.”

The hybrid tanks were developed with inventive ingenuity to handle the unpredictability of European shores, a design which became the prototype of many vehicles long after the war.

Unstoppable force behind the lifelike structure, and co-founder of the project, Stuart Martin said: “The community has put everything into this.

“Ripon Farm Services provided trailers, tractors and a forklift truck to transport it – all designed especially.

“Jennyruth Workshops cut the pieces.

“All the businesses supporting us, and the entire community has made it happen.

“Using the military space to build it, it's all connected.

“Everyone has played a key role, it's a massive project.

”It’ll be displayed at different locations in the run up to the launch.

“We want to convey the importance of the message, as to why we’ve got the freedom we’ve got today.

“It’s integral, without this machinery, we probably wouldn’t have it.”

The full scale tank structure will be darned by the Poppy Project's knitters, who have been behind the scenes covering every post box, rail, and park tree.

The knitters prefer to be known as a collective as each project is of, and for the community.

One knitter said: “Just one piece of the tank is 20ft long, that’s 180 knitted squares.

“Seeing the final display will be so emotional.

“We’ve purposefully left the soldiers without faces to remind people they could be anybody.

Another knitter, new to the city, said: “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

“They don’t do things by halves.

“It’s the fact we’re knitting together towards a common goal, sharing this dedication.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing people's reactions.”

With countless members of the community contributing an exact number cannot be given.

As previous projects have attracted thousands to Ripon leaving little space on public transport, visitors should expect overwhelming crowds.

Mr Martin said: “All the pieces link together, it will evoke so much emotion.

“We want people to imagine what might be felt in the minds of those who served, the devastation, the bravery.

“We can’t forget this.

“The Poppy Project was born out of that, a compassion to remember and honour the city’s history.”