IN lockdown during the pandemic, Northallerton school children found a novel way to mark Remembrance Sunday, painting poppies on stones as a lasting memorial.

The youngsters from Mill Hill county primary created the unusual tributes because they could not take part in the memorial service at All Saints Church.

Rebecca Bainbridge, headteacher, said: “In these difficult times it is hard to participate in community activities, but we were delighted to be asked by Northallerton town councillor Caroline Young to take part in this important event as we like to feel that Mill Hill is at the heart of the community.

"This has been particularly special because all the children have been able to be involved.”

Cllr Young and Rev David Johnson ensured the children’s tributes were placed around the memorial alongside the traditional wreaths.

Cllr Young said: “We were keen to get schools involved around the town and particularly because of the importance of Remembrance Sunday and even though they couldn’t be at the war memorial their tributes are a real mark of how we remember the fallen and what they did. We’re so grateful that they wanted to get involved.”

Meanwhile, on Remembrance Sunday in Thirsk, the town's Rotary President Peter Morrison had a particularly poignant reason for wanting to lay the club’s wreaths, firstly at Sowerby War Memorial, and then at St Mary’s Church on Remembrance Sunday.

His father, Commanding Officer of the destroyer HMS Janus, lost his life, with many of the officers and men, supporting the Allied landings at Anzio in January 1944 when the ship was sunk by German bombing. Peter was born just three days later.

This was the first occasion he had laid a wreath in honour of Rotary members who died and on a personal note, included his father’s ship and its captain on the note attached to the wreaths. There was a significant number of people gathered in Front Street, socially distanced across the road, and a smaller group at St Mary’s, where the wreaths were placed individually at the memorial inside the church.

Peter said: “It was an honour to represent Rotary at the services and be able to include my personal thoughts at the wreath laying.”