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In 2014, the Tower of London marked 100 years since the start of World War I with a commemorative art installation. It saw a sea of red poppies spilling out of a tower window and onto the grass below.

On a smaller scale, St Tyfaelog Church in Pontlottyn commemorates Remembrance Sunday with its own spray of poppies.

And with the Remembrance season quickly approaching, the curate of the church, Fr Darren Lynch, is keen to ensure the display looks as good as new.

Fr Darren said: “It’s been a few years since we did it. Some of the poppies have gone a bit tarnished and a bit damaged.”

Now, Fr Darren is asking people to get involved and make a poppy if they can.

This could be making a poppy from a recycled pop bottle, as he said: “You cut the bottom off it, and you just paint it red with a black centre and then we just fix it to the wire. It really is so easy.”

Or, people can put their crafty talents to the test.

He continued: “If you’ve got the needles and you fancy it, in the church – St Tyfaelog Church – we’ve got cheat sheets,” – these are step-by-step guides to crocheting a poppy.

He added: “Even I was tempted to have a go and I can’t crochet for the life for me.”

Closer to Remembrance Sunday, Fr Darren intends to hold a meet-up where people can come together and work together on the poppies.

While this is something that’s happened in previous years, there is something new on the agenda for 2023.

“This year, we’re also planning to use the community garden,” said Fr Darren.

Along with doing some gardening work, there is a plan to gather wellies from Fochriw Primary School and plant poppies in them.

Each wellie will then have a QR code on the side of it that will then form part of a history trail.

Fr Darren continued: “People can come along and scan the QR code and it will bring up someone from the local area who fought in one of the wars. Their bio will actually be on this QR code.”

Anyone who completes a poppy can bring it along to St Tyfaelog Church and if Fr Darren is not available they can drop it through the vicarage door.

Fr Darren added: “If somebody’s able to sit and do either – happy days.”