One of the most stunning poppy displays in Powys has returned for another year - and organisers want to make it even bigger next year.
On October 23, the poppy waterfall at St Mary’s Church in Llanfair Caereinion, was unveiled for the second year in a row, after making its debut for the Remembrance Day commemorations in 2021.
Assembled from poppies knitted by the ‘Knit and Knatter’ group organised by Shirley Jones over the course of seven months, the display contains over 800 poppies and stretches to a length of nine meters.
The display was erected to announce the start of the Llanfair Caereinion branch of the British Royal legion launching their poppy appeal for 2023, as firefighters from Llanfair Caereinion Fire Station volunteered to put up the display.
Samantha Webster, chair of Llanfair Caereinion and District Royal British Legion, said the display is going to get even bigger as work has already begun to make it more than double the size, long enough that it could reach the top of St Mary’s Church tower.
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She said: “Currently we have 800 poppies in the waterfall, but by this time next year we hope to have added at least 2,000 more to the display, taking the total length to around 27 meters.
“The goal is to make sure it can stretch from the corner turret of the tower to the ground.
“Putting the waterfall up was quite a simple process this year, as we haven’t increased the size of length of the display. The fire brigade asked if they could assist in putting it up and we gladly accepted their offer.”
Assembled from poppies knitted over the course of 2022 by the ‘Knit and Knatter’ group organised by Shirley Jones, they purchased large quantities of wool, some of which was donated by Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations, using a basic pattern for a knitted poppy to be as quick as possible.
Over 60 people were involved in the project, covering a range of ages with the youngest being 10 years old and the oldest aged 90.
One year later, they have received more donated poppies from across Powys, which will be added for next year’s display.
Ms Webster added: “Everyone in Llanfair love the display and loves to see it going up. It makes for such a unique annual display to mark such an important date.”
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