A remembrance group has said it is unable to go ahead with its annual poppy display after local council rules were introduced in response to the installation of flags on lampposts.
In previous years, Hoyland Remembrance and Parade Group has placed more than 350 wooden poppies on lampposts and street signs in Hoyland, Barnsley, each featuring the name of a soldier commemorated on the town's war memorial.
But it has announced "with a really heavy heart" this year's display had been called off after it sought guidance from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, prompted by "what has occurred in relation to the installation of flags on lampposts".
The group was told it would need to follow a number of "onerous" conditions, including installing the poppies above head height, but could not lean ladders against posts to do so.
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The poppies could also not be attached to road signs and would need to be removed within five working days of Remembrance Day.
In a post to Facebook, the community group said it was "genuinely disheartened".
It stated that the main issue was the number of poppies it could display had been "reduced considerably".
The post read: "We cannot put one up with a name and not another, we believe this would be disrespectful for what the purpose of these poppies are for.
The remembrance group displays over 350 wooden poppies around Hoyland, Barnsley, each year
|FACEBOOK/HOYLAND REMEMBRANCE AND PARADE GROUP
"Given all of the above, it is with a really heavy heart that in 2025, the group is not in a position to place the wooden poppies along the parade route and around Hoyland this year.
"We hope the public understands the position we have found ourselves in this year and ask that you continue to support us by attending this year's parade.
"We will look at the issue over the next 12 months, engage with the council to determine if anything can change and update those who follow and support the work we do as things progress."
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has issued a statement to say it has "offered support to community groups to ensure tributes are delivered safely and appropriately".
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The group cited a number of guidelines issued by the council including that it could not lean ladders against lampposts to put up the poppy displays
|FACEBOOK/HOYLAND REMEMBRANCE AND PARADE GROUP
The Labour-run local authority said: "We’ve seen reports on local Facebook groups that state we’ve stopped the installation of poppies on street lights. This isn’t true.
"We value the dedication of groups that honour our fallen heroes, and we fully support respectful poppy displays on street lights.
"There might be a change in the process of how these are installed, but we have offered support to community groups to ensure tributes are delivered safely and appropriately.
"A licence is required to attach any item to a street light. This applies borough-wide and is in place to protect everyone’s safety.
"An increase in unlicensed attachments prompted recent updates to guidance, but our commitment to remembrance remains strong."
The council added that it had supported the Hoyland and Rockingham Parade Group previously, including through funding a flagpole to fly a commemorative flag and benches to mark 100 years since the installation of the town's memorial.
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