Lowe Presbyterian Church group crafts 2,200 poppies ahead of Remembrance Day

The team of ladies in the church and knitting group, along with their friends have been working since January to create the pieces.

The 2,200 knitted and crocheted poppies represent 1,467 hours of work and 116 balls of wool, many of which were kindly donated by a group of men in the congregation.

Attaching and creating displays with the poppies took countless more hours.

"People who hadn’t knitted for years dug deep to find their needles and it was so encouraging each week to see the bags of poppies being handed over,” said a member of the group who created the displays.

"There was an incredible variety of hues of red wool and also a vast array of shapes and sizes of poppies. We crafted here there and everywhere, but mostly whiled away cold evenings in front of the fire. One lady knitted while listening to audiobooks, another while her leg was in plaster and then a long leg brace. Another was confined to the house for a while after a spell in hospital and knitting poppies was a real joy for her. One had a relative visiting from Australia who was at a loose end - she was provided with needles and wool.

"The poppies created farthest away was while the crafter was on holiday in Abu Dhabi. The most prolific knitter produced over 200 poppies.”

The group’s installations include the Poppy Fall, which comprises around 900 poppies and took about 20 hours to attach to the heavy plastic netting.

“The incredible supply of poppies kept on coming, which meant we could turn our minds to other installations,” the group member added.

"The pulpit cascade was made by joining two bits of net cut off from the main Poppy Fall and attaching around 200 poppies.

"The ballgown used 115 poppies, her handbag is made from three poppies on the front and three black flowers on the back and her choker is decorated with mini poppies.

"The cushion in the vestibule was made with 41 poppies; a wreath and mini-wreath were made using 25 and 16 poppies respectively, [and] the milk churn displays have fresh foliage and poppies attached to green sticks.

"The cross has 98 poppies, while the music stands used 28 poppies.”

The display of purple poppies is dedicated to the roles played by animals in the war, while a child’s racquet was covered in poppies.

Outside are some large poppies on stalks driven into the ground; the GB girls coloured in poppies which were used to make bunting, and the BB boys fashioned poppies from the bottom of Coke bottles.

After a request from several people wanting to buy knitted poppies to wear on Remembrance Day, the group bought some brooch backs and sewed them onto the back. These can be purchased in the hub.

"We especially want to highlight five men from our congregation who made the supreme sacrifice in WWII - Tom Rodgers, Harold Moorby, Walter Thompson, Jack Wallace and Tom Patterson,” the group said

“We hope visitors enjoy viewing the display and pray it is a fitting tribute to those who have sacrificed so much.

“All are welcome to stay for coffee, scone and a traybake.”