Signed poppies pay tribute to war dead

HALKIRK Village Council has put up 100 signed poppies around the local war memorial as a tribute to the men commemorated on it and also to mark the end of hostilities in the Great War a century ago.

The Remembrance Sunday service at the memorial will take place earlier than usual at 9am, with uniformed organisations, Royal British Legion personnel and members of the public invited to meet at the Ross Institute at 8.50am.

The service will be conducted by the Rev Ian McCree at the memorial and will be followed by another at 9.45am in Halkirk's Church of Scotland.

Chairman of the village council, Billy Manson, said that the large poppy heads have become a real "talking point just like the scarecrows were last year". Halkirk's 2017 scarecrow display had "folk travelling from far and wide" according to Mr Manson and the poppies, likewise, are bringing a "huge influx" of people to the village.

"It's all around the war memorial and up by the Ross Institute too. It's a really beautiful sight and just right for our wonderful war memorial."