Llanidloes has been adorned with thousands of poppies thanks to the close-knit community’s efforts to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

From a conversation that started over some coffee and cake, the Ladies section of the Llanidloes Royal British Legion banded together to turn the town red in time for the centenary of the Armistice.

Trudy Davies said: “We had a hundred poppies to put up to mark 100 years and we asked people to sponsor each one. Thinking we’d only sell 20 we could have easily sold another hundred. It’s been amazing.”

The Town Hall has been draped with more than 2,000 knitted poppies along 18 meters of fabric. Knitters from as far as the United States have sent poppies, and the eldest knitter being 97-year-old Chris Power from Llanidloes.

Trudy Davies, Joy Smout, Angela Morgan, Barbara Woosnam and Janet Hipgrave. (Picture: Phil Blagg)

Lampposts, bus stops, walls, bridges and even the football ground have been decorated, and almost every shop and business window have poppy displays.

The huge scale of the project would not have been possible without the support of organisations and community groups such as the Guides, Brownies, Rainbows, Cadets, St John’s Ambulance, nursery, primary and secondary schools, and many more.

The group say they’ve been overwhelmed by the support which has made every ounce of effort worthwhile.

“For me it’s been an experience of a lifetime,” said Angela Morgan.

“There’s been a lot of thought that goes into those poppies, and each one is different. That really represents a great diversity of men who went and lost their lives, and that’s only 2,000 poppies.”

Trudy Davies says the experience has been emotional but felt it was a job she had to do.

“We’ve learnt so much from all of this and so many things have come to light. There have been so many incredible and heartbreaking stories. We now know there are eight sets of brothers on that Cenotaph, and there’s a husband and a son. One of the sets of brothers enlisted on the same day and died on the same day. It’s important to remember all of them.”