Towering tribute: Jewish designer creates poppy stand display

A Jewish designer has created a display stand for the iconic Tower of London poppies – with some of the proceeds donated to charity, writes Matei Clej.

The concept was born when Ann Sugarman, wife of Metalcraft Ltd managing director David, bought one of the poppies but was then unsure how to display it. She said: “I didn’t want to plant it in the garden in case it got damaged but couldn’t find a vase that showed its beauty and elegance while protecting its fragility.”

Sugarman was quick to take up his wife’s idea, saying: “One of my employees also had a poppy and wanted to know if he could make a stand in the factory, so we ended up making some.” He added: “We wanted to design a fitting solution to display these priceless poppies to match their beauty and emotionally-charged symbolism, and make a significant contribution to worthwhile charities.”

Metalcraft has produced 2,000 of the brushed steel stands, which retail at £19.99 – £1 of which is donated to the six Tower of London Remembers charities. A total of 888,246 ceramic poppies were planted in the Tower’s moat for the ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ installation to mark the centenary of the beginning of the First World War.