A WALL-TO-WALL commemorative Curtain of Poppies, featuring 79,300 knitted, crochet and felt poppies which took centre stage at this year’s Wonderwool Wales event will soon be on show in the Tivyside region.

The curtain brought together contributions from knitters and fibre fans from all over the UK and abroad. It formed a colourful highlight of the showcase of Welsh wool and natural fibres at the Royal Welsh Showground.

After its debut at Wonderwool Wales, A Curtain of Poppies will be exhibited at several venues, including the National Wool Museum of Wales at Drefach Felindre from May 26 until the end of June.

The Curtain of Poppies caught the imagination of knitters and encouraged them to recreate the united determination of the women at home during World War 1, who “did their bit” to support the troops overseas by knitting gloves, scarves, balaclavas and socks.

Individuals contributed everything from one poppy to more than a hundred, some sending them in memory of named members of their own family who died in the Great War.

A serving soldier sent a single, embroidered felt poppy, saying she had never made anything else by hand in her whole life.

One contributor knitted poppies in memory of her grandfather and sent in 100 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the War. Schools, Knit and Natter groups, WIs, craft groups, schools and even whole communities got involved.

Curtain of Poppies organisers, mother and daughter Olwen and Jane Veevers, were delighted by the response.

Olwen said: “We would like to thank everyone who has contributed. Poppies have piled in from all over the UK and even from Europe and North America, often accompanied by cards, photos and notes explaining contributors’ reasons for getting involved. It’s been truly amazing.”

This year’s Wonderwood Wales also featured Julia Davies, from Llandysul, one of the two winners from Carmarthen School of Art of the inaugural Wonderwool Wales bursary.

Part of her prize was the opportunity to have a stall to show off her work at the event.