World's largest button made by Wool Women's Institute

It took the group eight weeks to create the giant woolly button in a gazebo

Members of a Dorset Women's Institute (WI) group have set a world record for the largest button.

Six members of Wool WI decided to create the outsized Dorset Button after their craft day was cancelled in February due to Covid-19 restrictions.

It took eight weeks to make with the group working in a gazebo one at a time to comply with social distancing.

Their 2.202 m (7 ft 2in) creation has been verified as the largest button (fastener) by Guinness World Records.

The group were set a base size of 2m for the button by the world's authority on record-breaking achievements.

The giant button has been put on display in Wool

Isabell van Millingen from the group said: "We thought we're the WI - we can do anything.

"We created a large frame for the button out of plastic piping, hung it in an open gazebo and came down one at a time to work on it. We had to climb a ladder to get to the top edge.

"We had hardly any cost involved as one of the ladies supplied the wool from her stash in her attic."

The women said they decided to attempt the record to show that "we still value local traditions, as The Dorset Button was a traditional Dorset craft".

The six button creators. whose average age is 71, were Tess Burt, Kath Burt, Sandra Housego, Virginia McDermid, Sarah Gardiner and Isabell van Millingen.

The button has been put on display in The Kids of Wool building, a venue for children's groups in Wool.