Poppy seeds are being given out by Malmesbury and the Villages Great War Project in the hope of creating a living memorial for the centenary of the First World War.

Members of the project are giving away 1,000 packets of poppy seeds over the next few weeks for local people to plant across the area.

Mark Allen, who is involved with the Great War Project, said: “We're not just remembering the loss and sacrifice, though that's very important, we're also looking at the lives people led and the changes that the war brought, especially in our area.

“Our first project is to get poppies blooming across the area to mark the centenary of the start of the war in 1914.

“We want to improve our knowledge of these times but also to build something positive for the future. We want to start new community initiatives, help people find out more about the lives and experiences of their ancestors, wherever they may have lived at the time, and record what remains of the memories of these times before they are completely lost.”

Malmesbury and the Villages Great War Project will have stalls at local events including Malmesbury Carnival's Petticoat Lane and Sherston's Pop-Up Village. They will be handing out the seeds, asking for a voluntary donation.

The Great War Project is an initiative of Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership. They are in their early stages and aim to run events from 2014 until 2019.
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