RESIDENTS of Royal Wootton Bassett awoke to find the High Street “yarn bombed” with more than 1,600 knitted poppies inviting people to take one in return for a donation to the Royal British Legion.

Linda Frost, Royal Wootton Bassett town councillor and member of Royal Wootton Bassett Community Together, along with other members awoke early today to meet outside the Town Hall with a plan to adorn shop window ledges, door handles and trees with the red remembrance flower.

The plan was not a council initiative, but came from town councillor Susan Doyle’s idea for community members to get together in an effort raise money for the Royal British Legion.

The community group put out several appeals to find volunteers who could knit and crochet and were met with a response of more than 30 people.

“RWB Community Together is a group which tries to encourage as many other groups in Royal Wootton Bassett to join together to do things. Sue Doyle came up with the plan to do this, but it’s really a community effort,” said Linda Frost.

“Half a dozen of us met regularly to discuss things to get on with and then those people met back with their own groups to do their own bit. It was something we were organising since May of this year.

“Twelve of us met at 6am this morning outside the town hall and then we split up to spread them as widely as we could.”

Alongside the RWB Community Together group, the Royal Wootton Bassett Girl Guides and the public worked together to create a giant poppy made out of over 200 foam poppies which now hangs on the Town Hall thanks the council’s grounds team.

The group donated over 350 poppies to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal and the rest have been placed around the High Street and the marble poppy on Marlowe Way.

The 1,600 flowers around the town are separate to the additional 600 knitted poppies which were used to create a giant poppy man which is situated on a bench near the post office.

The poppy man structure which was created by Swindon knitting group Stitch n’ Bitch, has received a positive response on social media said knitting leader Tracey Major.

Mrs Major said: “I got a call saying a lot of people have been tweeting about the poppy man and they are sitting down taking pictures with it, and it’s just what we wanted.”

Coun Frost added: “The aim was to raise awareness and funds for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal as well as bringing people in the town together and we’re hoping people donate generously.”

RWB Community Together group said in a statement: “Together we would like to say a huge thank you to the community for donating their time over the last five months, their skills and their materials.”