Cascade of poppies to remember fallen

A church has created an Armistice display to remember villagers who fought in the first world war.

The display at St Swithun’s Church, Long Bennington, will be open daily, from 10am to 4pm.

It opened on Wednesday and runs for the 100 days until Armistice Day on November 11.

The 100 days is significant because the last Allied offensive of the war, the Battle of Amiens, started on August 8 and continued until Armistice Day.

It will include a cascade of poppies that have been knitted by villagers, remembering the 28 from Long Bennington who died and the 102 who returned.

There will also be information about the war and the village from 1900 to 1930.

It will feature in the Heritage Lincolnshire Open Day Week-end on September 8, 9 and 10.

As well as those who knitted the poppies, other contributors were members of the church community, Long Bennington Academy, and the village WI, whose centenary is also this year.

Mrs Mary Dring, who knitted 300 poppies, died before she could see the completed exhibition.

The cost of the display was met by donations from local businesses, organisations and individuals, and from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The church has received support from HLF for vital repairs and the exhibition is part of its continuing campaign.

Money raised from the exhibition will help towards the cost of the stabilisation of the north aisle wall and the chancel roof repair.

The HLF allocated £16,900 so the church could continue the initial development phase of the repair plans and will consider detailed proposals later this year when a final decision will be made on the full funding award of £159,700.

The estimated cost of the overall project, due to be completed by the end of next year, is £252,888.

A new church path with associated lighting and a major restoration of the church organ was completed last year.