Remembrance Day: Giant poppy painted on Henley-on-Thames meadow

Poppy Appeal organiser Richard Pinches said it "took a lot of paint and many hours of filling in"

A giant poppy has been painted on a meadow to support the Royal British Legion's annual appeal, which launched last week.

The 30sq m (323sq ft) creation can be seen on Riverside Meadow in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

The thought arose after drone operator Richard Pinches took aerial imagery of the new King's cypher when it was painted in the same location.

He said he "saw the possibility" to extend the idea for the Poppy Appeal.

Mr Pinches said the paint was completely organic and would not harm the environment

Mr Pinches, whose father was a WWII army veteran and has collected for the cause for seven years, said he wanted to "give something back to the veteran community".

He had been commissioned by Henley-on-Thames Town Council to take drone footage of the new monarch's royal cypher, which was painted to celebrate the Coronation.

Mr Pinches said he asked those involved if they would return to create the giant poppy, which they were delighted to.

"It took a lot of paint and many hours of filling in after [a] robot had finished the outlines," he said.

He added the paint was organic and would not harm the environment.

Mr Pinches (left) worked with Simon Hughes (middle), from Origin Amenity Solutions, and Danny Perkins, from Groundtel

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