Chelsea

Well … Chelsea has come and gone.  And by any measure of success it was a big one.

We managed to chalk up a couple of very big firsts for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with our wonderful display.  It’s the first time the Show had connected with the Royal Hospital Chelsea in this way, and the first time all the Royals came to visit any one display or stand … we were also the largest display they have ever featured and we had record crowds, and record press coverage.We can put much of the success down to the sheer impact of 300,000 hand crafted red red red poppies in one place at any one time … it was bound to make an impressive visual impact.

And, it would be very easy in light of the impact we have had, to lose sight of what we set out to achieve originally with this project and we are all very keen for that not to happen.First and foremost, the 5000 Poppies project is a spectacular heartfelt tribute, created by the community at large, and much love has gone into its making.  There was no other agenda … just love, honour and respect for our servicemen and women, their families and their communities and the fact that we had such a huge response is a testament to the depth of feeling in the wider community.

It’s been three years in the making and apart from those who have made poppies and sent them to us, there has been a concerted effort of a small team of volunteers who have worked tirelessly to pull the whole thing together (including volunteering their time to come to Chelsea to help with the installation), plus a select team of contributors who have helped us both financially and practically.

We would especially like to thank the Royal Horticultural Society, the Royal Chelsea Hospital, the fantastic Chelsea Pensioners … how we enjoyed their enjoyment of it …. as well as our fantastic major sponsor – the Victorian Government for helping to make our vision a reality.  We would also like to thank our official carriers Qantas for getting us and the poppies there and back, and our friends at Carpet Call, The Victorian RSL, Australian Country Spinners and Grit Communications … what an amazing team.

There are many others to thank … Ted Baillieu, Chairman of the Anzac Centenary Commitee in Victoria and his wife Robyn, the High Commission in London for putting on a wonderful reception for the team, our PR specialists in London – Four Colman Getty and at home – Zing, for their tireless work in getting our message out to the wider community, David Brooks who volunteered his time to make our wonderful videos and is continuing to do so, and of course all of those thousands of people who visited us at Chelsea … what an amazing reception we had.

I am sure you have seen many images over the last weeks … it was a very special installation. Phillip Johnson’s design was brilliant in its simplicity and in the end it was the combination of community spirit, the simple elegant design, the heart of the project and the Royal Hospital backdrop, coupled with the London sunshine and the amazing crowds that lifted it to such heights.
I am incredibly proud and very grateful to the massive team (community) that has given so much to make this project the success it has become, and we want to thank you all for your contribution(s).

I have attached a couple of images of the project for you taken by our photographer Claire Takacs (these images are copyrighted), plus a number of “happy snaps” which is by no means exhaustive.  There are many thousands of images going around the world and deservedly so.

We now working on a quick turnaround before we are off to France to create another poppy installation at the commemoration of the battle of Fromelles.

Our heartfelt thanks to you all for your efforts. You have done an amazing job.

Lynn and Marg

 

Lynn and Marg