Over the weekend of 20th – 22nd July 2018, the THA took part in an event organised by the Church of St, Mary Magdalen in Tilehurst.  Entitled “Flanders Fields”, this event commemorated the centenary of the end of World War 1 and comprised floral displays inspired by specific battles or events, together with a poem to enable visitors to reflect on the events and the horrors of war.  In the Lady Chapel, behind a net dotted with crochet poppies, were displays of artifacts from the wartime period and photographs of local men who fell during WW1.  In front of the altar was a 9′ high poppy cross and displays of poppies, together with British Legion standards, set on a field of artificial grass.  All this was set to a backdrop of music of the era, hauntingly echoed by birdsong.  

The THA display ran down the central aisle, leading towards the focus of the poppy cross, an area of 10 metres x 1 metre.  Our brief had been to convey an atmosphere of desolation, sparse planting with only the occasional pop of colour, the sort of plants which will survive no matter what.  We came across this quote, which we felt, summed up what we wanted to convey, the regeneration of life from the waste of war.