'Every poppy in handcrafted display means a life'

More than 20,000 handcrafted poppies have been put on display at a church following a huge community effort.

Over 120 volunteers and groups have help to knit, sew and crochet the array of red, purple, blue and white flowers.

The installation was unveiled at Holy Trinity Church in Skipton, North Yorkshire, on Friday, and is the culmination of a project which began in March 2025.

Co-ordinator Helen Smith said she was "emotional" and "humbled" the number of people who have given their time and skills to the display.

The 41-year-old designer and part-time accounts manager came up with the idea on Remembrance Sunday 2024 after seeing there were no poppies in the churchyard.

"Because I crochet, I was like 'I wonder if we could do a cascade' because you see them on the news and things," she said.

The project held personal significance, she said, as her grandparents travelled to the UK from Poland during World War Two, and family members, including her father, served in the RAF.

Helen's initial plan would have demanded 3,000 poppies, but after being overwhelmed with support, she amended the designs to include 6,000.

"Once we reached 10,000, it was just any - it didn't matter," she said.

"We went from the cascade to a different installation, so it's just grown massively."

She said she counted 17,829 red poppies contributed by the community, with hundreds more in purple, blue and white.

"Every poppy means a life - it's a life lost so it does mean a lot."

As part of the preparation, volunteers spent a combined 104 hours at Greatwood Community Hall, in Skipton, working on the display.

There, new friendships were formed among participants, Helen said.

"It's helped them overcome mental health struggles, struggles that they've had in their lives, just coming here talking to us," she said.

"That in itself has just been rewarding."

The group plans to continue working together on other projects, she added.

Jean Barton signed up to the project after seeing a poster appealing for help outside the church, and said seeing the finished display "really is emotional".

"I lost my husband, who served in the armed forces, last year," the 75-year-old said.

"I've been quite lonely, so it's been nice to have other people about me to just keep me going, by knitting poppies."

Fellow volunteer Sue Rouse, 68, agreed.

"I lost my sister and I've come out getting out more, doing more activities," she explained.

"We comfort each other."

Reverend Doug Rice-Bowen, rector of Holy Trinity Skipton, said the project had "really brought the whole community together".

"It really does show that there's a real want and need for the people in the community to still remember," he said.

He added that the installation "really captures the imagination".

"We can see in a visceral way that there are so many people who have lost their lives," he said.

"20,000 poppies doesn't even represent the loss of life on the first day of the [Battle of the] Somme."

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