Welsh beaches to host Danny Boyle's World War One commemoration

Broad Haven South Beach in Pembrokeshire

Two Welsh beaches are to feature in film director Danny Boyle's project to mark the centenary of the end of World War One.

Large-scale portraits of individual casualties will be sculpted on to sand to be washed away by the tide.

Members of the public are being asked to gather on the beaches on Armistice Day, 11 November.

Boyle said the "informal gesture of remembrance" would complement the official ceremony at the Cenotaph.

The two events in Wales are at Swansea Beach and Broad Haven South in Pembrokeshire.

They will be part of a UK-wide commemoration called Pages of the Sea, organised by 14-18 NOW, the official arts programme that has been marking the World War One centenary since 2014.

Portraits of World War One casualties will be designed by sand artists Sand In Your Eye

Boyle, the Oscar-winning film-maker and mastermind behind the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, said: "Beaches are truly public spaces, where nobody rules other than the tide.

"They seem the perfect place to gather and say a final goodbye.

"I'm inviting people to watch as the faces of the fallen are etched in the sand and for communities to come together to remember the sacrifices that were made."

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The public will be asked to join in, creating silhouettes of people in the sand to remember the millions of lives lost or changed forever by the conflict.

Poet Carol Ann Duffy has also been invited by Boyle to write a new poem which will be read by individuals, families and communities on the beaches on 11 November.

Danny Boyle studied English and Drama at Bangor University

Other beaches may be added closer to the event.