It’s all becoming very real and we are getting soooooo close!!!

Oh dear just looked at my last post … February.  How the months are flying.  And I just know there are many of you who are keen to know how we are going with our preparations for Chelsea.

So firstly, the big big big news … is that John Eren, Victorian Government Minister for Veterans Affairs, and Qantas – Australia’s premier airline announced yesterday that Qantas are generously sponsoring the shipment of our beautiful poppies to Chelsea for us. It’s an amazing thing to see our Government, Corporate and the Arts come together to help to share our beautiful tribute with the world.  We could not be more thankful.

Qantas have calculated the total shipment size to be 35 cubic metres.  According to them that’s half the cargo hold of the A380 airbus.  That is huge!!!

And we are almost ready. Our fabulous teams of poppy makers, icorders, goopers, end stitcherinners and poppy attachers have created more than 100 boxes of beautifully made poppy stems packed and ready to go.  The 80 nets which we completed a few weeks ago are just being rechecked for the final time and a number of the earliest ones have been found to be not quite to our current standards so we are reworking them (yes I know we are all perfectionists – but we wouldn’t want it any other way).  The team is working with renewed energy to be sure that it is all perfect for the Queen … and all will be ready in around two weeks or so.  Phillip Johnson and his magnificent team are working working working the logistics to make sure it all runs smoothly once we are on the ground in London.  All systems are go!!!!!

And then the 1200 stems which we have lovingly prepared in Melbourne ready to have the poppy blooms attached by our poppy cousins “Knitting for Victory” in the UK via have arrived and so that wonderful part of the project is underway as well.  Very soon, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be awash with our stunning handcrafted poppies in spectacular tribute to our heroes, their families and their communities.

We are excited and proud of what we have all achieved as a community.  Many many many hands and hearts involved …

Look what you have created!!!!!