IT WAS a deeply moving tribute to more than 800,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers killed during the First World War.

In 2014 the Tower of London marked the centenary of the conflict by filling its moat with ceramic poppies - one for each life lost during four years of carnage.

The spectacular display, which turned the dry moat into a sea of red, attracted more than five million visitors including The Queen.

Now a Hampshire hospice is planning to mark its 25th anniversary by staging a similar display involving 1,000 ceramic forget-me-nots in the grounds.

Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington has launched an appeal to fund the flowers after joining forces with Johnson Tiles, one of the companies that made the poppies for the Tower of London.

Relatives are being invited to remember a loved one buying a forget-me-not for a minimum donation of £30.

The first person to purchase one, Barbara Wildgoose, of Barton-on-Sea, said: “The care my husband Geoff received from Oakhaven was outstanding. I wanted to buy one in his memory but also to help this wonderful local charity.”

Mrs Wildgoose, now an Oakhaven volunteer, said the friendship and support she had received from the hospice since her husband’s death had been “invaluable”.

Penny Marriage, a member of Oakhaven’s fundraising team, added: “Our aim is to replicate the poppy display in London by creating a sea of flowers in our beautiful gardens to honour people’s special memories as we commence our 25th anniversary celebrations.”

The flowers will be on show from April 29 and an anniversary cream tea will be held on May 7.

Oakhaven supports more than 200 patients a week - both in the hospice and in the community - through a raft of services that include community nursing, a day hospice and an in-patient unit.

Annual running costs total £4m, of which only ten per cent comes from the NHS. The rest is the result of fundraising and donations.

To buy a flower or book a place at the cream tea, go online and visit oakhavenhospice.co.uk/forget-me-not-25th-anniversary-appeal/?fl_builder.