DOZENS of village volunteers are knitting garlands of poppies for Armistice Day - to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal British Legion (RBL) next month.

Ceri Carter, from South Milford, has been leading a team of more than 40 volunteers over the last 12 months.

So far the team has knitted 3,000 poppies - creating around 100 metres of garlands and panels.

They will place the displays on memorial sites around South Milford on Thursday, November 11 - including South Milford Memorial Park.

Ceri said: “Its been a real community effort, wherever people walk, they will see a warm, red glow around the village and make it look more cheerful in the November season.

“I wanted to do a community project, and was inspired to do this after a trip to Thirsk in October 2020, as on this dull, rainy day, I saw all these poppies which made it look more cheerful.”

South Milford Parish Council helped Ceri recruit volunteers through local newsletters, and she created starter kits for those who had never knitted or crocheted before.

“I wanted to create a community project during lockdown as people have been isolating from others. It's been a lot of hard work, and people have enjoyed working as part of a team - it's a lot more like a ladies’ coffee meet and greet group.”

Ceri has held ‘poppy-tying’ events at British Legion premises and churches, with Saturday, October 9 being the group's fourth and final event.

Angus O’Donnell, Leeds RBL community fundraiser, said: “This is a wonderful gesture, the support of South Milford is more vital than ever as the impact of Covid-19 leaves some members of the Armed Forces community in need of help.”