PUPILS at Rodbourne Cheney have created a war memorial based on a Tower of London installation made up of hundreds of thousands of poppies.

Ceramic artist Paul Cummins and stage designer Tom Piper co-ordinated 888,246 poppies at the London landmark to commemorate the centenary of World War One.

The Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red installation was used by teachers at Rodbourne Cheney Primary School to inspire a peace topic this term, which resulted in pupils building their own wall of poppies.

Yesterday more than 150 parents were invited on-site to see the work their children had put together, joining the 250-plus pupils.

Ida Coombs, community tutor with The White Horse Federation, said: “The school is now focused on a values-based education, which seeks to get the children thinking about positive universal values.

“The children had World War One as a topic and, with the research they had carried out, they saw the sacrifices made by those who died, which has allowed them their freedom.

“With inspiration from the Tower of London, our children created their own wall of remembrance.

“Each individual pupil created their own poppy using different materials. Some used paper and laminated it, with others using recycled products and painting them with acrylic.

“The children really, really enjoyed this topic. They thought about why they were doing it.”

Every pupil in the school was included in the topic and contributed their own efforts to the commemoration day.

As well as the wall of remembrance, the pupils recited poetry for their parents, performed It’s a Long Way to Tipperary and one Year One pupil sang Amazing Grace solo.

Ida said the pupils had been profoundly affected by the images of the Tower that were shown to them. They were absolutely amazed by it,” she said. “It’s very difficult to put into words.

“Once they had seen the photos on the internet, they wanted to know how they could do something similar that was age appropriate.

“If you were to ask any of the children, they would say the poppy represents Remembrance, the sacrifice, the life they have now, and why they are able to be at peace with each other now.”

l Teddy’s travels teach pupils about the First World War: Page 17