Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall will officially open Hampshire County Council’s Poppy Pod village for the Armed Forces at Tile Barn Outdoor Centre on Tuesday, 26 July.
The Duchess will unveil a poppy shaped plaque and meet military families who are currently using the 20 wooden camping pods. The pods are free for service personnel, veterans and their families to use during holidays and at weekends, in the heart of the New Forest near Brockenhurst.
The Poppy Pods renew Tile Barn’s historic role of offering respite for the Armed Forces where more than 21,000 troops from New Zealand and India were treated at the former hospital site from 1916 to 1919.
The Duchess will be welcomed by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson Esq, the Chairman of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Keith Chapman MBE, and the Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Roy Perry.
The Lord-Lieutenant said:
It is a real honour to welcome Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall to officially open the Poppy Pod village. There are over 20,000 military personnel based in Hampshire, more than any other county, and I know Her Royal Highness and the people of Hampshire place enormous value on our long and close relationship with the Forces.
County Council Chairman, Councillor Keith Chapman MBE, said:
We are delighted that The Duchess of Cornwall will open the Poppy Pods village. The Poppy Pods village importantly continues Tile Barn’s historic legacy of offering respite for the Armed Forces, now in a unique and modern way. Inspiration and enthusiasm from County Council staff has been at the very core of the Poppy Pods planning and it is wonderful to see that now turned into reality, thanks to the hard work of everyone involved. The Poppy Pods will be a wonderful facility for Armed Forces communities long into the future.
County Council Leader, Councillor Roy Perry, added:
This project not only has links to the past, but offers an important and welcome break for the Armed Forces, many of whom have experienced conflict. We have received wonderful and heartfelt messages from military families who have stayed at the Poppy Pods, who appreciate our gesture of giving something back to the Armed Forces community. The Poppy Pods are an important part of the County Council’s legacy in recognising and remembering the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces personnel.
Her Royal Highness will also visit St Nicholas’ Church to visit the Commonwealth war graves of the soldiers who were treated at Tile Barn during the First World War. Her Royal Highness will also see a commemorative stained glass window inside the church which was recently installed, honouring those who were connected to New Zealand No.1 General Hospital, 100 years ago.
The solar-powered and accessible Poppy Pods have been funded by £250,000 from the Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant scheme and £50,000 from the Brockenhurst branch of the Royal British Legion. Each Poppy Pod is named after a battle from Amiens to Ypres, and pine seeds from Gallipoli have been planted nearby.
The creation of the Poppy Pods was inspired by the BBC programme ‘The Choir’ with Gareth Malone, which provided an insight into the fears and isolation of military wives as their husbands and partners served in Afghanistan.
[envira-gallery id=”11781″]
