Knitted poppies adorn 'thankful' village's church

Hundreds of poppies have been knitted and crocheted by members of the Shapwick Starlets WI

A stunning display of about 2,000 knitted and crocheted Remembrance poppies has been put in place by members of a community group.

It is the sixth year the Shapwick Starlets Women's Institute have covered the St Mary the Virgin church with hundreds of their crafted poppies.

Shapwick, near Bridgwater in Somerset, is one of the 'thankful villages', where every soldier returned alive from World War One.

WI member, Sue Sellick, said: "We had 32 men go off to war and thankfully 32 men come back. We have no war memorial though, so it's really important to mark."

The poppies are knitted and crocheted - mostly red in memory of those lost in conflict, and some purple for animals which died in war

The group has collected the poppies over the last eight years and hope, in the future, to do a "poppy curtain" on the church tower.

Ms Sellick said: "Every year we get people donating poppies from the village.

"Quite often, I open my front door and find loads of poppies left on my door step."

Patricia McNally said that knitting "keeps her busy"

Patricia McNally knits poppies for the display after her mum taught her to knit when she was younger.

She said: "I have to be knitting - it keeps me busy.

"I spent a lot of time on my own when my husband was in the military - and I guess that's where it started.

"We're so proud of the display."

The bench is covered in poppies every year

The poppies look stunning at the church

The village is one of Somerset's thankful villages - as all the men who fought in World War One came home

The group are always looking for people to knit more poppies to expand their display