Rhydyfelin residents craft colourful poppy display

With red, purple, and white knitted poppies, wooden poppy plaques, soldier sculptures, and original artwork, they’re getting ready for Remembrance Day on November 11.

The poppy excitement has now spread to the local pub and community centre, proudly showcasing the group’s poppies and sculptures. Other residents have also joined in, dropping off their poppy crafts, and the club is thrilled with the response.

Jan Pocket, a Craft Club member, said, “It’s awesome to see the whole community joining in. We love making the poppies, and they love displaying them. We’re really proud that our display has inspired more people to get involved, and it’s certainly kept us busy. The girls have been knitting the poppies and sewing them onto the wire frame. Mike, a veteran himself, has been doing all the woodwork, cutting out poppy plaques and soldier sculptures from reclaimed materials. It’s been a labour of love and a great excuse to get together and have fun.”

The Craft Club was formed in 2018 after Trivallis opened the sheltered scheme, aiming to help tenants meet new people with shared interests. Inspired by the poppy artwork at Windsor Castle, Susanne Rees, the Scheme Coordinator, challenged the club to put their spin on it, resulting in over 2000 knitted poppies in the first year.

Now, the club has expanded to include non-residents, building more friendships and social networks, and the display keeps growing and becoming more creative.

Gaynor Bolderson from Hawthorn, a member of the Busy Bee knitting group, said, “The knitting group and the craft club are just wonderful. Raising money for Velindre with Busy Bees and supporting Remembrance Day activities gives you a real sense of purpose and achievement.”

The Craft Club has become a gateway to new opportunities, offering entertainment nights, trips away, line dancing classes, and more. Once Remembrance Day activities conclude, the group’s attention will shift to preparing for their Christmas craft stall at the community centre on December 9. By selling their creations, they hope to generate income to keep the group going and even bring in experts to learn new crafting skills.