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Rosie's heartfelt poppy tribute brightens up Thurso


By David G Scott

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A COLOURFUL window display in Thurso town centre is one local woman's way of saying a heartfelt thanks to the essential workers keeping the country going throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The artwork consists of hearts – emblazoned with names of various shops, organisations and services – along with small knitted blue poppies on a dark background, and can be seen in the window of J H M Williamson Chemist in Traill Street.

The whole composition comes together to make the striking image of one large heart.

The artwork is the brainchild of Rosie Adams, who was helped in her endeavour by friends and family.

Rosie Adams created this striking window display in Thurso town centre. Picture: Mel Roger
Rosie Adams created this striking window display in Thurso town centre. Picture: Mel Roger

She said: "Since the pandemic started I got busy making traybakes and dropping them in to various places to say thank you.

"I gave them to the doctors, chemist, Lidl, the Co-op, post office and bus depot and have done it a few times."

Rosie said that they were all so grateful that she got around to thinking of a new project to show her appreciation.

"I was online and spotted a thing about how we should do blue poppies for essential workers working to get us through the pandemic.

"As I am at home alone I decided I wanted to do something as a thank you to all these people."

A detail of the tribute to key workers. Picture: Mel Roger
A detail of the tribute to key workers. Picture: Mel Roger

She knitted blue poppies and added buttons on the front along with safety pins on the back so they could be attached to a membrane.

"I asked people on Facebook for help and typed up the poppy pattern and messaged it to them," she said.

Gail Farquhar, Alice Grant, Ros Foy and Marigold Durrand rose to Rosie's challenge and all knitted poppies, while Jane Mackay and Margaret Canavan helped by sewing buttons on.

"I was not sure as to what I was going to do next but eventually came up with the idea to create a heart-shaped frame," Rosie said. "I asked my daughter for help and she suggested that I should lay it out then progress from there."

She then cut out heart shapes, wrote down all the essential workers' titles on them, attached the poppies to the membrane and put the hearts between them.

"People dropped off their poppies and I then had to go on the hunt for cardboard to place behind the membrane. I got help from my neighbour Janet Ashcroft to get it stuck together."

Rosie asked Williamson's pharmacy if it could be displayed in the window and they said that would be fine.

"Any time I went in they apologised for not having it up because they were extremely busy but they then took time out to get it in the window – I was so grateful to them all."


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