WE have reached that time of the year when we remember those who died to protect our freedom and way of life.

Remembrance Day is not just a time when we recall those who died in the First and Second World Wars, but also those who have died in conflicts since then. It’s important that we pause to recall the sacrifices they made for our benefit.

And the symbol that we choose to use is the poppy, which traditionally was the only flower that grew in the muddy trenches of northern France and Belgium during the First World War.

Churches across our diocese will hold Remembrance Sunday services on Sunday 8th November, pausing for a minute's silence at 11am. Where possible, worshippers will gather around war memorials which feature the names of those who died. 

Worshippers at St Mary’s Church, Warsash, are planning a magnificent display of poppies to help people to recall these sacrifices. They will have the church open on November 7th and 8th, from 11am-4pm on the Saturday and 1pm-4pm on the Sunday. Entry is free and more details are here.

They have created poppies out of wool and textiles, some of which were made by the women who meet regularly in church to do craft. They will be displayed all around the church for people to see. They will also be showing an exhibition of stories, which includes an inspiring medic from the First World War, a victim of the Nazi regime, and some of the youngest boys who went to war. It will all help us to recall the human stories behind the Remembrance commemorations.

Among those involved are the Warsash Veterans Group, Mothers’ Union and the Warsash Heritage Society. They will be serving teas on the Saturday afternoon, and inviting visitors to light candles on Sunday afternoon to remember their loved ones.

And on November 11 – Remembrance Day itself – the church will welcome pupils from Hook-with-Warsash CofE Primary School into the church, so they can discover more about what Remembrance means.

Worshippers will gather around the war memorial in St Thomas's Square in Newport for an outdoor ceremony led by Newport Minster at 10.45am on November 8. The County Remembrance Service will be attended by the Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight Susie Sheldon, alongside civic dignitaries, and representatives of the Armed Forces including veterans, cadets, and reservists.

An Isle of Wight cadet will deliver the traditional Exhortation, followed by the Last Post and the two-minute silence. An Isle of Wight reservist will then recite the Kohima Epitaph before the laying of wreaths at the war memorial, accompanied by Elgar’s Nimrod, performed by the Vectis Corps of Drums.

Isle of Wight Council leader Cllr Ian Dore will speak before Canon Chris Bradish, area dean for the Isle of Wight, will give the blessing. There will then be a parade from St Thomas’ Square onto Newport High Street, continuing to St James’ Square and along Pyle Street before returning to St Thomas’ Square. As the parade marches past the war memorial on its return, the Lord-Lieutenant will take the salute.

At St Mary's Church, Alverstoke, its lychgate has once again been adorned with both red and purple hand-knitted poppies - a simple and beautiful reminder of the many lives and stories we hold in remembrance. Worshippers there will pause to remember those who lost their lives in conflicts around the world during Sunday's service.

Members of the community in the Baffins area of Portsmouth have knitted more than 1,000 poppies to create a display that adorns the side of St Cuthbert's Church, Copnor. It will be there while worshippers mark Remembrance Sunday with a service from 10.45am on November 8.

And worshippers have also created a poppy display around the war memorial outside Holy Trinity Church, Fareham. The annual Act of Remembrance will take place there on November 8, with a similar Act of Remembrance at St Columba Church from 10am. The Fareham Civic Remembrance Service then begins at 11.15am in Holy Trinity Church.