A FIELD of remembrance is being created for people to place a cross or poppy in memory of a fallen member of the armed forces.

The remembrance garden is being created in Stokesley for the centenary of the First World War, which will sit alongside the town’s war memorial on West Green.

Stokesley resident and Royal British Legion member, Alwyn Boulby, decided somewhere needed to be created where residents in the North Yorkshire town could pay their respects to military personnel who have died.

He approached a number of organisations in the town with responsibility for the existing war memorial, including parish councillors and church leaders, all of whom have supported the initiative.

On Saturday, October 25, a short service of dedication will be held at the field of remembrance. Residents will be able to place their crosses during the service, or at any other time.

The service will be in addition to the annual parish service and Act of Remembrance on Sunday, November 9.

Stokesley’s army cadet unit will also be supporting the Royal British Legion by selling poppies during its annual Royal British Legion street collection, along with shops, pubs and other businesses in the town.

The names and stories of the 54 people listed on the cenotaph and at St Peter and St Paul’s Church were recently gathered together by Keith Burton and his wife Val, in a project with Stokesley Heritage Group.

The project was designed to bring to life every name written on a town’s war memorials and created a moving account of the cost of the First World War for the centenary year.