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Great Yarmouth Hippodrome praised for stunning Remembrance Day event
The Festival of Remembrance event at Great Yarmouth Hippodrome. - Credit: Archant
A moving Remembrance Day event paid fitting tribute to the fallen - while also providing a spectacular show.
Great Yarmouth Hippodrome hosted the civic Festival of Remembrance on Sunday, attracting a full house and warm praise from the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk and former head of the Army, General Lord Dannatt.
The stunning show saw a cast of around 70 put on a mesmerising show, which saw a cascade of thousands of poppies fall from the ceiling during a two minute silence.
Local school children helped make the poppies, and were there in person to see the emotional display.
Young people from the Orchestrate! Project youth orchestra and Norwich Young Voices choir also took part under the director of John Stephens.
Speaking at the end of the Great Yarmouth Festival the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Richard Jewson, who had also attended the British Legion event in London was full of praise for the standard of the Norfolk version.
“There is nothing that South Kensington can teach you here,” he said.
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The show saw local actress Judi Daykin tell the story of the courage and unshakeable Christian faith of Norfolk WW1 heroine Edith Cavell in her final hours before she faced a German firing squad.
And 16-year-old Scott Ribbons read some of the WW1 poems and a letter, only recently discovered, written by a young Yarmouth soldier from the front line.
There were also appearances from The Winterton Marine Cadets creating the Drum Head altar, Dance Estelle youngsters including soloists Liam Sherwood and Ellie Lowe providing moving scenes, piper Simon Cater playing Battle’s over to begin the event and Joel Hayes performing the Last Post and Reveille to mark the silence and begin the poppy drop.
Mayor’s Chaplain the Rev Albert Cadmore and local Royal British Legion secretary Irene Williams led the Remembrance Service with Royal British Legion standard bearers completing the cast.
The Festival was the idea of Yarmouth Civic Events manager Laura Goodman who said she was so pleased with the way it had all come together, especially involving so many young people.