“In Flanders fields the poppies blow: Between the crosses, row on row.”  Inspired by Lt-Col John McCrae’s poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, the poppy is the nation’s symbol of remembrance and a shared desire for a peaceful future.

An exhibition and learning space

The 18 tonne Moving Poppy vehicle will be an exhibition focussing on the poppy’s heritage and a learning space with capacity for 35 people. The exhibition will include artefacts from the Lady Haig Poppy Factory collection and oral histories covering personal stories of military conflict since 1939.

[quote=Lucy Casot, Head of HLF Scotland]"The Moving Poppy is a unique idea which will expand on the work of the Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, allowing diverse groups to explore all that it stands for."[/quote]

The £731,200 grant will enable the Moving Poppy to travel around Scotland visiting schools and communities. It will interpret the poppy’s heritage and host activities for groups to explore and share a contemporary understanding of remembrance, the nature of conflict and the poppy’s role in modern society. There will also be opportunities to meet and talk to veterans.

Other activities will include:

• Schools education programme
• Evening activities for youth and community groups
• Poppy and wreath making

Six permanent posts will be created as well as training for 150 volunteers and 80 veteran ambassadors. The Moving Poppy will tour over 200 days of the year and is expected to attract 50,000 visitors annually.

Celebrating the poppy's legacy

Lucy Casot, Head of HLF Scotland, said: “While everyone knows the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, this little flower represents so much more in today’s society. Thanks to players of The National Lottery, The ‘Moving Poppy’ is a unique and exciting idea which will expand on the work of the Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, allowing diverse groups, including rurally-remote and multi-faith communities, to explore all that it stands for."

Commenting from Poppyscotland, Chief Executive, Mark Bibbey, said: “It is particularly fitting to be launching The Moving Poppy in 2018 as a lasting legacy 100 years after the end of the First World War. 

"It will ensure that the sacrifices made during that conflict, and those since, together with the vital, life-changing services provided by Poppyscotland today are understood and recognised for generations to come.”