Case Study: Correx® boxes protect 30K+ knitted poppies for Peacock WI

The Peacock Women’s Institute (WI) from Corsham approached GWP with an unusual request. Following the overwhelming success of their project to knit 10,000 poppies to mark Remembrance Day in their community, with over 30,000 donated by the time the project concluded, the organisation needed a way to store them for future years.

GWP’s experience and expertise in Correx® boxes, including those for protecting historical artefacts and other archive applications, enabled us to design, manufacture, and donate several boxes tailored to the WI’s requirements.

The “Poppy Project” was a community initiative in Corsham, Wiltshire, that created a large display of knitted and crocheted poppies to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Led by the Peacock Women’s Institute (WI), the project’s original goal was to create 10,000 poppies for a cascade display on the church tower. However, it received an overwhelming response, resulting in them receiving over 32,000 poppies from not only the local area but across the UK and around the world.

The project involved community members of all ages, schools and local organisations and included a pop-up “Poppy Shop” for lessons and coordination.

The result proved so successful that it culminated with Queen Camilla visiting Corsham to see the displays and attach the final poppy to the church tower cascade.

However, upon completion of the project, the WI faced a challenge on how to safely store the 30,000+ poppies for use in future years.

Peacock WI reached out to GWP Correx® to see if we could help them with the challenge of storing the poppies.

Although they had already secured a space to store the knitted flowers, there were concerns that they might become wet, dusty, faded, or otherwise damaged during long-term storage.

GWP’s team, including General Manager Emily Parker and Senior Designer Steve Mann, created several large Correx® boxes. These featured envelope bases (for easy assembly without tape) and a full overlap top for security and protection.

Having confirmed measurements and specifications with Peacock WI, GWP then manufactured the boxes using 4mm Correx® at our specialist production site in Cricklade, Wiltshire. Upon final production, we donated the boxes to the WI.

The Correx® boxes provided several benefits to Peacock WI.

Firstly, the design of the pack and the material itself protected the stored poppies from moisture, dust and UV light. Crucially, however, Correx boxes® are acid-free and do not leach chemicals, which is why they are frequently used for museum archive storage applications.

Secondly, Correx® does not become brittle or soft at the temperatures at which the poppies are to be stored.

Thirdly, the smooth surfaces of the boxes make them easy to clean. Coupled with the durability and lifespan of Correx® boxes, this means they will have excellent longevity and reusability.

Finally, the lightweight material and ability to fold the boxes flat also mean that the Correx® boxes will not take up excessive space when the WI retrieve the poppies in future years for displaying around Corsham.

Elaine Dent, President of Peacock WI, commented:

We were overwhelmed by the success of the Poppy Project and thrilled that The Queen visited our community. But as the project was nearing the end, we realised we had tens of thousands of knitted and crocheted poppies to store! GWP provided an excellent solution, with the donated storage boxes being strong, durable, and protecting the contents from water and dust. Supplying these boxes means our community can continue to use the poppies for years to come.

The poppies made by the community of Corsham (and beyond) are a fitting tribute to the fallen heroes of the two World Wars. They also represent the strong sense of community fostered by both the WI and Corsham. As a result, keeping the poppies safe so that they can be enjoyed by all for years to come was vital – and something the Correx® boxes GWP donated are ideally suited to.

If you require the safe storage of valuable, expensive, delicate, rare, or even sentimental items, GWP can help. Please get in touch with a member of our team for further information on the packaging and storage options we can design and manufacture for your business or organisation.