An arts and crafts club in the New Forest have paid tribute to fallen soldiers with a crocheted display ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
The Friday Morning Craft Club in Exbury knitted, crocheted and felted the touching tribute, a project which involved over 30 of the group’s members.
“We did individual poppies last year but we needed to do something bigger this time,” said club leader Lorna St John-Dennis.
The 56-year-old does not knit or crochet herself, but says she delegates and “cracks the whip” to get projects completed.
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Lorna said: “I just make sure all of our members have something to do, to keep their minds busy.
“It’s not just knitting or crocheting and you don’t even have to do crafts at our club, it’s a place to go chat and have a coffee.
“There’s a lot of ladies at our club that don’t speak to anyone all week, it’s a place for them to come and talk.”
The Friday Morning Craft Club make items to sell to charity, where they have previously supported Waterside Gateway and Honeypot Children Charity among others.
They are now supporting the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal with their latest display.
The club used to meet at Lepe Beach, but as the group grew, they outgrew their original location.
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“We started off with seven people and now we’ve got over 30 people on our books,” Lorna said.
“I used to turn up in the car park thinking we’d have a quiet one and seeing so many more people that I didn’t recognise.”
The group were homeless for a while until Jim and Sue McLaughlin of Exbury Club gave them a place to meet.
“We really thank them on behalf of our craft club,” Lorna said.
“They do give up so much of their time to make us feel welcome, and they haven’t even asked us to pay to rent the room for the last year.”
The crafty display that contains poppies, figures and even a spitfire is now on display at Exbury Club, where donations are welcomed.
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