THOUSANDS of poppies are being knitted to create a large-scale memorial in Halesowen to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

As part of this year’s Halesowen in Bloom campaign, community groups from across the town came together to create a way to commemorate those who lost their lives in the conflict.

The first batch of knitted poppies were placed at Halesowen War Memorial – outside St John’s Church – but more were made, so organisers had to come up with another way to display them.

Eve O’Connor, Halesowen in Bloom chairman, said: “It started off with a few poppies being knitted and then soon enough we had so many that we thought it would make a brilliant display.”

A new batch of poppies has recently been installed on the railings which line High Street.

Eve added: “The poppies are still being knitted now by a range of community groups and they will still be knitted up until Remembrance Sunday when we hope to cover the whole of the railings between Earls Island and the war memorial.

“It coincides with the grant we received from Tesco which we have used to plant poppy seeds on Earls Island.

“This has created a big talking point in the town as we’ve managed to cover such a large area with these beautiful flowers.

“When our wonderful community groups have finished knitting the poppies it will create a breathtaking trail around the High Street.”

The other theme which will be celebrated by Halesowen in Bloom this year is the history of button making in the town.

Peter Grove, a descendant of the Grove family who founded the factory in Halesowen, will present to the judges examples of buttons made at the factory and also the Grove Family stained glass window in St John’s Church.

Judges from the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Britain in Bloom’ team will be visiting the town on Thursday (August 2) as Halesowen competes as national finalists for the first time ever.