Residents commemorate Remembrance Day despite COVID-19 restrictions

Livv Housing Group has delivered poppy posters to hundreds of residents, ensuring they can still commemorate Remembrance Day and honour the fallen, despite current COVID-19 restrictions.

The Knowsley-based housing association has provided Royal British Legion poppy posters to over 800 residents in its supported and extra care schemes.

Livv residents, who would usually purchase and proudly wear poppies, are now able to display posters of poppies in their windows instead, showing their respects for those who fought and lost their lives to protect our freedom.

Watch Factory resident, Barry White said: “We’re pleased that despite lockdown we’ve still been able to mark Remembrance Day by displaying our poppy posters in our windows. It’s important for us to still have the opportunity to remember those who lost their lives in the two world wars and in combat since.”

In addition to producing and delivering the poppy posters, Livv Housing has made a donation of £1,600 to the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

Martina Devlin, Head of Independent Living, said: “While this is a year like no other, all of us at Livv Housing Group recognise the importance of commemorating Remembrance Day.

“We are thankful for those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom and way of life and we appreciate how significant Remembrance Day is to our residents. We knew that we needed to find a way for them to honour the day despite the coronavirus restrictions.

“Sadly, the pandemic has made it near enough impossible for our residents to purchase a poppy in person, so we’ve decided to bring the poppy to them in a Covid-secure way and also give a donation to the Royal British Legion.”

In light of current coronavirus restrictions, the Legion has developed a range of ideas to enable people to continue to commemorate Remembrance Day. These include:

  • Holding a small remembrance service in your garden.
  • Using Zoom, Facebook or another online meeting resource to host an online Remembrance service or activity.
  • Creating a remembrance space in your garden by planting plants that have a connection to remembrance.
  • Creating an online exhibition of remembrance related photos from local residents that schools or others could use to discuss local remembrance activities.
  • Doing an online interview with a local veteran or someone currently serving to discuss what service and sacrifice means to them. You could send people the link and create an online audience.
  • Opening an online book of remembrance that family, friends and others can sign as a mark of remembrance.
  • Writing letters of remembrance to veterans or serving personnel.