YEOVIL NEWS: Pen Mill Hotel wins annual Pittards Trophy for Remembrance

THE Yeovil branch of the Royal British Legion runs an annual competition for the best Poppy Day themed display to commemorate Remembrance.

The displays can be anything that is Poppy Day related, and, as one would expect, a lot of the displays centred around poppy themes and poems about Remembrance Day.

The competition once again had some excellent entries, but the judges decided that this year’s Pittards Trophy should go to the Pen Hill Hotel and Restaurant on Sherborne Road, Yeovil.

Competition organiser Peter Forrester, who is also vice-chairman of the Yeovil branch of the Royal British Legion, presented Pen Mill landlord Jon Palmer with the trophy and winner’s certificate.

The poppies on the trophy are made of red leather and was made and donated by Yeovil-based Pittards.

Mr Forrester said: “It is competed for on an annual basis, with the winner retaining the perpetual trophy for ten months before the competition is held again.

“In addition to a perpetual lamp set amongst a traditional poppy display, together with a tray of poppies and a donation box inside the hotel, the Pen Mill Hotel featured wooden cut-outs of soldiers affixed to the hotel's outside railings, right alongside the main A30 trunk road that passes by the hotel.

“Community involvement was assured when the hotel downloaded the Royal British Legion drawing poppy from the website.   These black and white print-offs were given to the children of customers attending the hotel to colour in and the hotel picked the best child's effort and awarded the family a free lunch.

“The staff of the hotel throughout the two-week period always wore a poppy as part of their uniform to honour those lost during this remembrance period.  It was a really good approach to a Remembrance Day display.”

Mr Palmer, of the Pen Mill Hotel, said: “It was a pleasure to be included in this amazing cause. Thank you to all of our customers who showed their support.”

The Pittards Trophy competition was keenly contested and highly commended certificates were awarded to St Margaret’s School at Tintinhull, the Cambian Lufton Manor College at Lufton on the outskirts of Yeovil, and the Countess Gytha Primary School at Queen Camel.

More LOCAL NEWS is available in the December 2020 edition of the Yeovil Press community newspaper which is available from the main Tesco Extra store in Yeovil town centre; Tesco Express stores on Abbey Manor and Cavalier Way in Yeovil; Morrisons supermarket store on Lysander Road, Yeovil; Iceland store in the Quedam Shopping Centre, Yeovil; Westlands Yeovil entertainment venue in Yeovil; Yeovil Library in King George Street, Yeovil; Palmer Garden Centre, Yeovil; and other outlets - the Co-op store on Stiby Road, Yeovil; the No5 Cafe Diner on the Lynx Trading Estate, Yeovil; the Co-op Garage Store on Sherborne Road, Yeovil; the shop along West Coker Road, Yeovil; West Coker Garage, West Coker; Montacute Service Station, Montacute; and the Co-op store in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, opposite Stanchester Academy.

PHOTO – TOP: Pen Mill Hotel landlord Jon Palmer with the Pittards Trophy and winning certificate along with the poignant display as the Pen Mill showed its support to the annual Poppy Appeal.

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