Despite saying she could not even ‘draw a tree’ a woman who was inspired by her experience selling poppies last year has created a Remembrance Day poppy flag.

The idea came to Helen Rogers, from Purley, a year ago when she was at London Bridge station fundraising for the Poppy Appeal and it occurred to her that there was no official flag.

After getting support from the Royal British Legion she travelled to Flanders Fields and the War Graves and photographed the fields of poppies blowing in the wind.

Inspired by the words of Lieutenant Colonel John McCrea’s 1915 poem In Flanders Field she then designed her flag using the golden centred poppies – reflecting the torch in the poem and representing hope for the future. She then added a lark rising from the top left hand corner because the lark is mentioned in the poem and was also commented on in many of the soldiers’ letters home – “through all the noise and dust every evening, the larks still flew”.

Croydon South MP Richard Ottaway said: “The result is the amazing Remembrance Day poppy flag, which commemorates the lives of servicemen and servicewomen lost over the past 100 years in all wars and which, in addition to the blessing of the Royal British Legion, has so far garnered the full backing of COBSEO (The Confederation of Service Charities), the Fire Service, Fort Widley in Portsmouth as well as Helen’s employers at Sussex Police.

“She tells me she has orders coming in from the UK and from right across the world and I have contacted our Government to flag up this wonderful idea and to seek their support for it.”

Sir Richard added: “I am absolutely delighted that one of my constituents has come up with this amazing idea and has developed it so beautifully and I look forward to seeing the poppy flag flying proudly on flag poles around the world.”

Go to www.thepoppyflag.com to buy a flag.

All proceeds are going to military charities.