A SPECTACULAR display of knitted poppies has been unveiled in Barrhead to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

Months of hard work has blossomed into a tremendous tribute to soldiers lost in conflict, with much-needed funds being raised for St Andrew’s Church at the same time.

Members of the congregation and their friends have been hard at work since January to produce more than 7,000 knitted and crocheted poppies as part of an effort to pay for a new church hall.

READ MORE: Cuppas mean cash for new Barrhead Church Hall

The current facility is already in high demand, as it is used by all of the church’s youth organisations, including the Boys’ Brigade and Scouts, as well as a number of external groups.

Members of the local community have rallied round to support fundraising activities but, at the start of this year, treasurer Catrina Buttar was aware they still had a very long way to go if they wanted to hit their target.

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Sandy and Elma Farr

Catrina, of Dealston Road, said: “It began, initially, because we thought we needed to do some fundraising. We weren’t doing enough but I could hardly criticise anyone if I wasn’t doing it myself, so I tried to think of something I could do.”

A proficient knitter, Catrina had seen displays of crafted poppies at the Tower of London and Aberlady Church, in East Lothian, and thought the team at St Andrew’s Church could do something similar.

She said: “Our church quite lends itself to a display like that. I’ve knitted for a long time and I thought, if we could get people knitting poppies and have them sponsored, that would help us with fundraising.

“That was the initial idea, with the end result that we would also have a poppy display to put out for Armistice.”

Catrina recruited friends and family to the cause, along with other ladies from the church and members of a knitting group at the Voluntary Action Centre.

She said: “We started knitting them in January. Personally, I’ve been knitting most evenings, producing anywhere between one and seven a night.

“There are ladies in the church who, as well as knitting themselves, asked for their friends and family to join in.

“We had one gentleman who knitted a poppy. His wife was knitting them and he decided to get involved. It took him about a fortnight but he did it and we really appreciated that. We had quite a laugh with him.”

Construction on the display got underway in August, with Catrina and her husband Jim working on it in secret every weekend.

She said: “We got help when we realised what an enormous job it was. We had a group of people who came down on weekends to give us a hand. It’s been quite a big project but, when the end result was there, it was definitely worth it.

“The number of people who have knitted for this is huge. At the beginning, I provided all the wool. My husband and I would go around various shops to make sure everyone had the same colour.

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Allan Martin, Jim Butler and Peter Inglis

“Then, when we started to put the display together, we realised how many different shades there were. Obviously, other people had used their own colours and the shading of it looks absolutely fantastic.

“I think it looks so much nicer than it would have done if it had just been one red. All the different shades help toshow how many people were involved.”

It’s not yet known how much money has been raised through the poppy project but it has already had quite an impact.

Catrina said: “I would like to thank everyone involved. People were happy to offer to help, which has been wonderful. We didn’t have to press-gang anyone.

“It really makes you feel like you’re coming together as a church and a community when people are willing to volunteer their time and energy for something like this.”

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The display was unveiled last week, just a few days ahead of Remembrance Sunday, garnering praise from people across Barrhead who have been lucky enough to see it first-hand.

READ MORE: Tributes to the fallen on WW1 centenary

Rosaleen Reilly, chair of Barrhead Community Council, said: “We would like to congratulate everyone at St Andrew’s Church who has contributed to the display. It’s absolutely spectacular.

“It must have been a tremendous amount of work and they managed to keep it very quiet until it was ready. It’s great for the town and looks stunning.

“They’ve really done a fantastic job.”