Member Article

Bournemouth mum honours 19-year-old son who died in action with handmade poppy wreath donated by housebuilder

Andrea Johnson from Kinson, Bournemouth, has been remembering her beloved son, Jonathan, this weekend with a handmade poppy wreath donated by Dorset housebuilder, Barratt Homes.

Rifleman, Jonathan Allott, was just 19 when he lost his life while serving in the Armed Forces in Afghanistan in 2010, and the leading developer passed over a handmade poppy wreath to his mum ahead of Remembrance Day this year.

Wanting to pay its respects to military personnel – past and present – Barratt Homes decided to put together a collection of commemorative wreaths. And, with the help of a team of volunteers from the Salvation Army, which knitted and crocheted an incredible 75 poppies, the housebuilder then organised for these to be laid at the weekend’s ceremonial services across the region.

After hearing about Andrea Johnson and her son from local veterans’ charity, Bournemouth Above and Beyond Trust, Barratt Homes has been keen to show its support. Earlier in 2023, the developer planted two Italian Cyprus trees in Kinson as a memorial for Jonathan.

Amedeo Angiolini, Project Worker at Bournemouth Above and Beyond Trust, said: “Barratt Homes has been a great support to our charity as well as to Andrea, and I really appreciate it. We arrange a Remembrance Day event in Kinson like this every year and it’s always a special morning. It was lovely to see Andrea laying Barratt’s handmade wreath in honour of Jonathan today.”

Andrea Johnson, Rifleman Allott’s mum, said: “Thanks to Barratt planting two trees in memory of Jonathan, I now have a special place to remember him, and I’m so grateful to the developer for now donating this stunning handmade poppy wreath for me to lay during today’s service.”

Megan Hamlyn, Barratt Homes Marketing Manager, said: “We are committed to helping organisations and individuals who need it in the community, and we support several initiatives associated with the Armed Forces. It has been a pleasure to handover one of our handmade wreaths to Andrea to lay at the Kinson memorial service today.”

Kinson’s memorial service took place on Saturday 11th November. Sgt Dan Allott (brother of Jonathan), from the Rifles, and 2nd Lieutenant Gianluc Angiolini, from the General Adjutant Corp, led the ceremony with the Reverend Lee Shirvill from St Andrews Church Kinson.

On the day, everyone honoured a minute’s silence at 11am before the ceremonial wreath laying took place at the memorial outside Kinson Library. Schoolchildren from Kinson Academy and Christ the King, then went on to perform poetry recitals and songs for the visiting guests.

Bournemouth Above and Beyond Trust was set up to support ex-military personnel and serving military with re-integration to civilian life by dealing with the issues they face when leaving the Armed Forces.

Barratt Homes is building homes across the region. The housebuilder is committed to supporting organisations in the areas in which it is building and is a proud supporter of the Armed Forces.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Barratt Homes .