Two veterans’ charities have called on the people of Andover to paint a poppy pebble to honour those fallen in war.

Project Nova is an initiative by RFEA - The Forces Employment Charity and Walking With The Wounded, which is asking civilians and veterans alike to paint a poppy onto a pebble and place it onto a war memorial or grave as a way of marking this year’s Remembrance Day.

In Andover, there are 91 war graves where pebbles could be placed, all located in Andover Cemetery and remembering those who died in the first and second world war. The oldest is for Private A. King, who died on December 9, 1914, while the most recent death was of Flight Sergeant Horace Tuckwell, who died on March 24, 1947.

The pebble idea came after many clients of the project got in touch to ask how they could commemorate Remembrance Day, as many of the planned public activities have had to be scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It is a continuation of an earlier activity Project Nova recommended to veterans who were experiencing social isolation during lockdown. They were encouraged to undertake research into identifying and visiting local war graves in their area, finding out information about the veteran who was buried there and surveying the condition of the grave which is then offered to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Project Nova’s National Manager, Colin Back, says: “This simple idea has really caught people’s imagination and has been shared on social media over 15,000 times in a matter of a couple of weeks!

“I’ve since received queries and pictures from people getting involved from all over the world and we would love for even more people to get involved. It’s a wonderful way for people to find out more and feel connected to those who have been lost through conflict.”

Project Nova will host an online exhibition at a later date, featuring a selection of images of the painted poppy pebbles.

To get involved, or submit a painted poppy pebble image to Project Nova, visit: www.rfea.org.uk/poppypebbles