Life-sized remembrance soldier created by knitters

The Knit and Natter group at ExtraCare's Stoke Gifford Retirement Village created the soldier for Remembrance Sunday

A knitting group has created a "fantastic" 6ft (1.8m) soldier to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Residents at ExtraCare's Stoke Gifford Retirement Village spent three months making the life-sized piece.

It is a model of the Unknown Warrior to represent all soldiers who died and the design includes medals pinned to the soldier's chest, a backpack and rifle.

"It's fantastic, it's beautiful and its all knitting. It's amazing how it could be done," resident Gwen Cooper said.

He is a model of The Unknown Warrior who was brought back from France and is buried at Westminster Abbey

The soldier is the work of 12 members of the retirement village's Knit and Natter group, ranging in age from 63 to 93-years-old who each knitted different parts of the design before it was constructed.

Ms Cooper said her husband Eric used to carry a sewing kit, known as the housewife, around with him while he was a soldier, so she wanted to knit a replica along with the straps on the soldier's backpack.

Gwen Cooper knitted a sewing kit like the one her late husband Eric carried when he was a soldier

"It was hard work. He took the needle case from England to South Africa, where he was befriended by a family and then he went on to India and Burma and he was behind enemy lines.

"My sons came to visit and said it is awesome, they can't believe it.

"It's the Unknown Warrior and it represents all soldiers really. We're so proud of it," added Ms Cooper.

He took three months for the residents to complete

The intricate design includes buttons, epaulettes and medals pinned to the soldier's chest

The soldier follows a knitted Queen made by the group to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, which earned a written response from the late monarch.

Activities coordinator at the retirement village, Natasheya Archer, said she was "so impressed" with how residents took on the "huge challenge" of knitting the soldier.

"It was touching to hear residents' stories of their loved ones who fought in World War One and World War Two recounting memories of what the uniform looked like to make sure our soldier was accurate," she added.