An Aberdeenshire church is celebrating the return of its world-renowned remembrance display.
Macduff Parish Church has been showered by 13,000 knitted poppies as the congregation relishes in the return of their popular remembrance display.
Poppies have been handed in from all over the world, including Australia, America and Belgium.
The display was first unveiled at the church in 2018 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War.
It has now become an annual spectacle.
Coordinator Claire Nicholson, 47, is the mastermind behind the project.
She has personally knitted around 800, each taking around 25 minutes. This means Mrs Nicholson has spent roughly 333 hours knitting poppies.
‘It’s something I am really passionate about’
She said: “A better knitter could probably do it quicker but I sit and watch TV while I do it.
“I don’t have any family military connections, it’s just something I am really passionate about.
“I think a lot of these boys just had no choice but to go to war.”
In 2019, a cross and a collection box were added to the display, with donations going to the poppy appeal.
The stunning display has been a big hit.
Miss Nicholson said one man has already made the trip to Macduff from Inverness just to have a look and go home again.
She says throughout the years there has never been any vandalism to the poppies.
Community effort
The local community also gets involved in the display.
Every year, members of Macduff Coastguard give up their training night to turn out and help the church to lay out the display.
Local shipyards also allow the group to dry the poppies out in their sheds before they go back into storage for the following year.
Although the display had to be paused in 2020 due to the pandemic, the tribute returned in 2021.
More poppies requested for next year
The group hopes to add something new to the display every year to keep it expanding and improving.
But Miss Nicholson says that due to the church’s grounds being renovated they now have more area to fill.
She believes she will need another 13,000 poppies to fill it up and has put out calls for anyone interested in knitting to get involved.
The display will be taken down on November 24.
To get involved, follow the Macduff Poppy Display on Facebook.
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