Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ticket price?

Tickets costs either £12 per person (entry including VAT) or £18 per person (entry with tea break, including VAT). Entry with tea break includes one cup of tea or speciality coffee and one serving of cake for each group member. Please choose only one ticket type for your whole group.

Please note, for any visits from 1st October 2023 'Entry only' tickets will be priced at £14 (including VAT) and 'Entry plus tea break' will be £20 (including VAT). The £75 holding deposit for large groups will remain the same.

What time should I arrive for my visit and how long does it last?

Our friendly hosts and volunteers will open our doors to start your visit for your chosen timeslot (10:30am /12:30pm / 3pm). Visits last 90 minutes in total. This includes a 30 minute presentation and 1 hour self-guided time where you’ll have the opportunity to explore our exhibition, have a go at wreath and poppy-making and enjoy our delicious tea break (see further information below on our tea break options). Please note that we are unable to accommodate early arrivals and outside of our pre-booked visits and discovery sessions our visitor centre is closed.

Are there refreshments available?

For groups of 25+ we’ll be in touch after you’ve reserved your visit online, to find out whether you would like to book ahead for our delicious factory tea break served by our veteran baristas, with fresh cakes made by our in-house bakers 7Marvels.

For individuals and small groups attending our discovery visits, factory tea break can be purchased on the day. If you’re looking for lunch options or a day out in Richmond, information on other local visitor attractions and places to eat and drink can be found on the Visit Richmond website.

Will I need to show a ticket?

You will receive a confirmation ticket once you've booked online, this will be confirmation of your visit. There is no need to print out your tickets.

Why isn't it free to visit?

As a small charity, we need to cover the cost of operating our visitor centre and raise vital funds to support veterans into employment. By buying tickets, you'll help change the lives of ex-Forces job seekers across England and Wales.

How can I get to The Poppy Factory?

The Poppy Factory is a 15 minute walk from Richmond train station. You can also catch the 65 bus from Richmond station to Compass Hill stop which is outside our visitor centre.

Our entrance is a sharp turn on Petersham Road, next to a colourful poppy pedestrian crossing and just a few hundred yards from Richmond Bridge.

Pay and display coach and car parking is available at The Old Deer Park, Richmond TW9 2RA, around 15 minutes’ walk away and accessible from the A316. There are also NCP car parks in Richmond town centre, around 10 minutes’ walk from the factory.

Can I park on site?

We are unable to offer parking for individual cars or coaches but caoch passengers can be set down at the entrance to our car park on arrival, and collected there on departure.

Can I buy merchandise?

We have a shop in the visitor centre offering a small selection of special Poppy Factory souvenirs. Our shop opens for group visits and we take payment by card only.

Is The Poppy Factory Covid-safe?

It is important that visits to The Poppy Factory are safe for everyone. We continue to monitor and adapt our arrangements, in line with Government guidelines.

Before your visit, please let your group members know that they should not attend if they think they have COVID-19 symptoms or are self-isolating.

During your visit, your group will have exclusive access to our visitor centre. Hand sanitising stations are available and our toilets and facilities are cleaned regularly.

As a charity that actively employs veterans with health conditions, we kindly ask that your group stays socially distanced from our staff and volunteers. We do not currently ask all guests to wear masks, however you are welcome to wear them.

Is The Poppy Factory accessible?

Yes. We have fully accessible toilets, low level displays and ramps to allow ease of movement around the centre.

Do carers go free of charge?

As a small charity we can only offer one carer per group to visit free of charge.

I'm booking a school visit, how many adults are required per child?

We advise children's groups should have an accompanying adult ratio of 1:6 and that youngest age we can cater to is 5yrs (Key stage 1).