Aylesbury Vale church group creates knitted poppy wall for Remembrance Day

A church group in nearby Bierton has created a giant, knitted poppy wall to honour fallen armed forces members.

Members of the community at St James the Great Church in Bierton knitted 500 poppies to show their respects.

A member of the church group, Christine told the Bucks Herald: "We owe so much to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

"We owe our freedom to them and sitting here in church at the moment and seeing the perspex silhouettes, makes you realise, for a small village to lose 18 soldiers in the First World War, was quite a heavy toll.

"When you consider other villages like Stoke Hammond, they were considered one of the lucky villages because all their men came back. Whereas here they didn't and some of them were from the same family.

"These were young guys, in their 20s hoping they would come back, and they never come back. Of course, they didn't get the support as well, there was no support for the people who did come back.

"Just to pause and remember and make a few poppies, to say we do remember and for that we are eternally grateful."

The church has one silhouette to commemorate each person lost during World War One, meaning visitors are reminded of the toll those years had on the community.

As well as the sacrifices ordinary men were forced to make for their country just over 100 years ago.

Inspired by those who came before them, over 20 members of the parish knitted away to make the poppies that now reach the top of the church.

Not only a fitting way to remember fallen heroes of previous years, the knitting project also provided an opportunity to bring people together during a pandemic.

When the country re-entered lockdown last year, the knitters within the parish started getting to work creating something to pass the time and keep the community spirit alive at a time when many were stuck on their own.

Christine said: "Last Remembrance Sunday, we weren't able to have a proper ceremony, we had a very small act of remembrance, and then we were in lockdown over Christmas, January, February.

"So, lots of ladies in the village from the church and parish were self-isolating, live on their own, were lonely, so wanted something to do having been in lockdown the year before.

"A young lady came up with the idea of having a cascade coming down. It helped them during the winter lockdown that we had, and they were all competing, saying: 'I've done so many'.

"It was really a double whammy because it benefited them so much. As they had a project to do during the winter months and a horrible time in January and February."

Another benefit of the knitting activity was, Christine believes the desire to get involved and play a part, might have convinced older parish members to make orders online.

To get red oil and make sure the poppies would fit together, some older members of the church family, might have used the internet for the first time.

Look out for the silhouettes and poppy display at church in Bierton, this week.