'Please remember to buy your poppy' is appeal from Royal British Legion to people of Burnley and Padiham

That is the call to Burnley and Padiham residents ahead of the national lockdown, which is due to start from midnight tomorrow, and will see the closure of all non essential shops and businesses.

Organised by the Royal British Legion, poppies and poppy themed items can be bought right up to Remembrance Sunday from special stalls at the Tesco stores in Burnley and Padiham.

Billie-Jean Horne, who is community champion at the Tesco store in Burnley, has been manning the stall and poppy appeal organiser Frank Gallagher has been making sure there is a plentiful supply.

Mr Gallagher said: "As always Billie-Jean has done a wonderful job for us and I would like to thank her."

Covid 19 restrictions mean that Remembrance Sunday commemorations are severely limited this year with low key ceremonies taking place.

Restrictions mean the public will not be allowed to attend a ceremony at the cenotaph outside Burnley Library on Sunday.

But they will have the opportunity to lay their own tributes after the dismissal of the standard bearers throughout the rest of the day. These rules also apply to the cenotaph at Towneley.

The Mayor of Burnley Coun. Wajid Khan will lay a wreath sometime prior to Remembrance Sunday.

Bill Allott, who is the chairman of the Royal British Legion Burnley and Padiham branch, along with standard bearers will pay their respects and a two minute silence will be observed at 11am. The Last Post and Revellie will be played via a recording before the service closes.

Padiham Council will hold a wreath laying service that will take place at the Memorial Park bandstand on Remembrance Sunday. It is believed this is the first time a remembrance service has taken place inside the park which celebrates its 100th birthday next year.

In accordance with the rules 15 attendees and wreath layers will take part in the service starting at 10-45am led by the Mayor of Padiham Coun. Vince Pridden with Canon Mark Jones and well respected Padiham veterans Jim Bates and Ted Davidson.

Individuals and organisations will be invited to lay wreaths throughout the day if they wish with all social distancing rules observed.

Anyone who wishes to do this is asked to contact Coun Pridden no later than tomorrow (Thursday, November 5th)

The official poppy appeal organiser for Padiham Coun. Pridden also has wreaths available for sale from Padiham Town Hall by prior arrangement.

Coun. Pridden can be contacted by email [email protected] or by phone on 01282 771267 or 07788775537.

In a bid to raise awareness of the appeal amateur artist Tracey Smith has painted 30 poppy rocks which she has hidden around the Ightenhill area for residents to find.