Landlady plasters pub with poppies

A landlady has transformed her pub into a war memorial by plastering its walls with 70,000 poppies in tribute to fallen armed service personnel and veterans.

Julia Cooper. Credit: Twitter

Julia Cooper, 50, has transformed her pub in County Durham into sea of red, sticking 70,000 poppies throughout its interior over the past year. The display at The Don Bar in Stockton-on-Tees has become so well-known that the family of soldier Lee Rigby, killed in 2013 in Woolwich, recently paid it a visit.

“I get veterans coming here and crying when they see the photographs I have on the walls along with the poppies”, said Julia Cooper speaking to the Daily Mail. “One actually broke down in front of me and said that the memorabilia meant so much to him and that he was overjoyed to be able to see it. It makes me really happy that my pub is representing something as important as the British Legion.”

The Royal British Legion send Cooper boxes of poppies to add to her display, with Mrs Cooper sending back donations from her customers in return. However Cooper wants to add another 30,000 poppies to the display before looking to secure a Guinness World Record.

“I think the public should be aware of these people that have given their lives for us and have fought very hard to keep this country safe. It would be an amazing thing to be recognised by the Guinness Book of Records. It would make everyone’s hard work worth it to see The Don Bar in such a well-known book.”

The pub collects money for four charities – the Royal British Legion, Veterans at Ease, Forces Support and Armed Forces Bikers.

The Don Bar. Credit: Twitter