'A tribute to the fallen of Eccleston' - Chorley community decorate village for Remembrance Day
A Chorley village has been transformed ahead of Remembrance Sunday...
A community in Chorley have come together to decorate their village in honour of Remembrance Day this Sunday.
Residents of Eccleston, supported by the group Eccleston Men's Shed, have gone the extra mile for this year’s Remembrance Day.
Their decorations include a sea of poppies on Eccleston Green, as well as a special display near the Green’s pond, featuring a full sized knitted soldier.
The community have then tied large popppies to over 50 lamposts around the village: each one remembers a fallen soldier from Eccleston and has been sponosered by a relative.
Members of Eccleston Men's Shed also cleaned and refurbishing the flagpole at Writingtingon St James Church, raising the Union Flag in anticipation of Sunday’s commemorations.
Speaking to the Post, one of the group’s members, Michael Huckle said: “This is done every year as a great tribute to the fallen of Eccleston, the poppies are knitted by ladies of the village and this has been going on for the past 8/9 years.
“The current driving force behind this endeavor is local postmistress Rachel Bland who also crocheted the soldier - which is new this year.
“Rachel has all the ideas and they come to the shed through her husband Steve who is one of our founder members.”
Set up in summer 2025 with help from the parish council, Eccleston Men’s Shed is a community group designed to bring men together to socialise, share skills and work on projects for their community- such as the above Remembrance Day decorations.
Over the past few weeks, the group have also been out selling poppies outside Eccleston Post Office to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.
The primary function of Eccleston Men's Shed is “to allow men to come together and share, something us men have not historically been good at”, added Michael.
The group have a workshop, garden and meeting room in the Eccleston Community Hub where over 30 members get together to do woodwork, mend things, drink tea and chat.
They undertake most of their activities for the benefit of the community, for instance they have mended benches across the village, carried out mainenance at Eccleston Communtity Hub and help out other residents.
Eccleston Men's Shed even recently restored an 18th century steam pump, which is to be displayed in the village in the new year- honouring Eccleston’s weaving and textile past.
You can find out more about Eccleston Men’s Shed on their website, although it is currently getting revamped.