How rainbow pictures were turned into a giant flag and flown from top of Blackpool Tower

David and Darren Nelson created a flag made up of Blackpool resident's rainbow designs.

That was the realisation for two Poulton brothers as they looked at the hundreds of homes in Blackpool to put up rainbow pictures in their windows.

This is why landmarks like Blackpool Tower and the Winter Gardens were lit up

And so he hit upon the idea of turning some of that artwork into a flag and displaying proudly in a way that only Blackpool can – by flying it from the top of the tower.

The flag was flown from the top of Blackpool Tower

So he and twin David posted a series of notes through doors asking people to send photos of their rainbows.

The response was phenomenal and yesterday they raised the flag for the whole resort to see.

“Everybody got back to me,” said Darren. “It was really well received.

“The flag looks absolutely fantastic. This is a time people are never going to forget – the idea was to create something nice that local people can feel proud of.”

The flag was created to give the people of Blackpool something to be proud of, celebrating the way the resort has come together during the coronavirus crisis.

He said the rainbows were a “wonderful” display of gratitude for key workers and showed “how the country has come together”.

Having watched proudly as their creation fluttered in the breeze, before it made way for today’s VE Day tribute to our war heroes, the brothers now hope to donate the flag to Blackpool’s new museum. Darren added: “It will be a nice piece of social history.”

And David, also a photographer, said the flag was a fitting tribute to the community spirit shown – and sacrifices made – by people in the midst of a national crisis.

“The flag is symbolic of the struggle in Blackpool,” he added.

The brothers hope to donate the flag to the new Blackpool museum when it opens

Hundreds of cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the resort, while more than 130 people who tested positive have died at the resort’s hospital. Meanwhile, the vast majority of residents have observed social distancing restriction aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.