'Knitting 6,000 poppies brought us together'

Poppies were made for the Remembrance Sunday cascade for St Peter's church

For one of the more than 200 people who have created a cascade of poppies on a church tower in Worcestershire, there is extra significance to her work.

Sheila Williams said: "My grandfather died in the First World War, so to me it's special... I do it for him at the back of my mind.

"But it's brought us all together as a group."

Knitters and crocheters aged from six to 92, aiming to make 4,000 poppies for the Remembrance Sunday cascade for St Peter's church in Inkberrow, smashed their target by more than 2,500 well ahead of time.

Ms Williams said: "The end result, it's been very poignant to see the poppies being lifted on Saturday. It... brought tears to your eyes."

Each poppy was made in the village and the Inkberrow WI (Women's Institute) member said she had "made lots of new friends".

Tina Hill and Melanie Hart came up with "this wonderful idea of knitting poppies [and] got us all together, down at the pub mainly," she stated.

Asked what she had particularly enjoyed, Ms Williams said: "The social side I suppose, meeting different people, we've had people come from Birmingham."

She stated: "It's just been a wonderful community spirit of everybody getting together."

Sheila Williams said she did it mainly for her grandfather

The poppy is a symbol to remember those who have lost their lives in conflicts around the world and those who have been killed as a result of terrorism, while it also represents the contribution of families and the emergency services.

It is the first time Inkberrow has made a cascade of poppies and it is hoped this will become an annual display.

For project coordinator Ms Hill, there was an element of coincidence.

She said: "Melanie and I strangely enough contacted the vicar on the same day in December, following Remembrance Sunday last year, wanting to make a poppy cascade for Inkberrow church.

Coordinator Tina Hill said "it's been a real community effort"

"The ladies from Inkberrow, from the WI, from different groups, have all joined us along the way and we've had mornings, evenings making poppies, having chats, having fun."

Ms Hill said they had had "some of the husbands come down from the pub one evening to join us to sew a poppy".

Many of the more than 6,000 poppies have been made in a village pub

The poppies were put in place by Saturday, when there was an evening concert

She added: "We had some visitors on a pilgrimage come to Inkberrow church and they stayed and sewed on poppies."

The coordinator said they had seen "so many people pop in just for an hour, five minutes".

"We've loved every minute... amazing, better than Melanie and I ever expected."

Melanie Hart (in blue) came up with the idea along with Tina Hill, Sheila Williams said