A Wortley business has had 2,000 poppies planted as an act of remembrance – and is hoping to smash its fundraising target of £2,000 for SSAFA, the armed forces charity.
Brothers Oliver and Daniel Thornton, co-owners of The Waste Team, which has sponsored the display on the A58 Claypit Lane at Sheepscar Interchange, say it is their way of helping those who have fought for freedom by raising awareness.
Our act of remembrance 🌺
— The Waste Team Leeds (@WasteTeamLeeds) November 4, 2021
We’ve planted 2000 poppies and a fallen soldier silhouette, can this city match it in pounds to help the @SSAFA with the amazing work they do? 🙌🏽 https://t.co/YcqebPg6nI #RemembranceDay #Leeds #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/EL9aOV7dEj
Oliver added that the display has received much attention along the road, where traffic is often slow because of queueing. He said:
“Especially on such a busy road – around 85,000 vehicles go past it each day – the display has become a talking point and a landmark. It gives people in cars and buses something to consider on their way to work, school or the shops.
“We sponsor other sites around Leeds and use the spaces to promote and support causes we feel strongly about, and paying tribute to those in the Armed Forces – some of our family and some of our staff have served – means a lot to us, especially as each year Remembrance Day seems to get less and less attention.
“From our place of freedom, we can do our small part to help those still suffering from the effects of conflict, so we chose to highlight the fantastic work SSAFA does for veterans, serving personnel, and their families, and to encourage people to donate to it so that great work can continue.”
To find out more and to donate, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/thewasteteam.
To find out more about SSAFA, visit ssafa.org.uk.
The Waste Team is based on Oldfield Lane in Wortley.
