RIVAL designs have been revealed in the battle to replace Royal Wootton Bassett’s collapsed poppy memorial.

The marble sculpture, installed to commemorate 355 fallen service personnel who were repatriated through RAF Lyneham, was unveiled by Princess Anne four years ago but crumpled under its 4.5-tonne weight a year later.

One group led by Tom Patterson, is raising £290,000 to replace it and has already produced one design.

But now Martin Lansdowne and the designer of the original sculpture, Mark Humphrey, have launched their campaign to have it replaced with the same design but different materials - and at no cost.

Mark said: “I will be covering the cost of it being made, I don’t want to mention how much it was but I can say the first one was made of marble and this one will be made of bronze, brass, and steel. They are expensive materials and my work, as a creative, has value in the market.

“It’s such an emotive and poignant subject, war, peace, and remembrance, it’s not about the financial cost, it’s about the message. The stone didn’t cause it to collapse but I’ve changed the materials because I don’t think the town will accept the marble design again.”

Martin Lansdowne, chairman of the new Royal Wootton Bassett Sculpture Campaign, said.”The petals represent love, honour, gratitude, and respect, and we think to our campaign it’s important in terms of the repatriations. It is also angled up as it’s facing heaven so it’s all about remembering them.”

“We launched our campaign in November and we had to use a different name because Tom Patterson has trademarked the Forever poppy name. But we’ve had no end of support and people helping us with our campaign by posting leaflets. The response has been fantastic.”

Mr Patterson, chairman of the Forever Poppy Committee said: “Royal Wootton Bassett carries a significant and unique position in the UK for the town’s recognition and commemoration of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country. As a community, we are proud to have had our heroes repatriated through our town and it is for this reason that we established the Forever Poppy Committee to install a meaningful and fitting sculpture for upcoming generations to remember.

“The Forever Poppy team is committed, with the backing of the town council, to raising funds to replace the broken poppy on the plinth in Royal Wootton Bassett, and while some groups are calling for a like-for-like replacement of the original marble poppy, we know we need something which is long-lasting and secure.

“Therefore, we will continue to work tirelessly to raise funds for the bronze Forever Poppy, which we know will be a beautiful and poignant addition to our town.”

The town council has urged people to be civil online in what has been a heated debate on Facebook. A spokesperson said: “We are fortunate to have two passionate groups with proposals for the Marlowe Way site. Going forward, residents should understand that both groups have put significant work into their efforts. We ask that everyone be cordial in their dealings with each other on this emotive subject and respectful to each other on social media.

“Finally it should be noted that Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council has a duty of care to ensure that the correct questions are asked of both groups and for us to gain a full understanding of the obligations that we will have to undertake with each approach. Once, fully informed the council will make its decision on which sculpture will sit on the Royal Wootton Bassett plinth.”