A TANK made of wool and a ballgown made from 5,000 crocheted poppies are part of an extraordinary display in Llandudno to mark 80 years since D-Day.
The Longest Yarn is an incredible collaboration between knitters from France, the UK, Europe, USA and New Zealand currently on view to the public at Holy Trinity Church on Trinity Square.
Encased in glass boxes, 80 knitted scenes created by more than 1,000 people, show snapshots of the 80 day campaign to liberate Paris from Nazi Germany in World War II.
The exhibition - organised by the Friends of Mostyn Street - is open to the public for free until October 27 every day except Monday and also features a video of veterans stories from the battlefield.
But the Longest Yarn has taken over Mostyn Street. Lining the street are knitted poppies to decorate the shops, culminating in a huge image created by knitted poppies proclaiming 'Cofio' - Remember.
Head inside the Victoria Shopping Centre and there you will find another knitted tribute - a life-size Hobart tank, complete with Winston Churchill, tank commander and British soldier - all created entirely in wool.
This astonishing creation is known as the Ripon tank, as it was knitted by the Ripon Community Poppy Project in Yorkshire.
It took almost 75,000 hours to complete and 2,300 balls of wool and was created in partnership with the Men's Shed and Jennyruth Workshops.
The final major installation for Mostyn Street's Longest Yarn exhibition is at Clare's, where the stunning Poppy Gown is on display.
A masterpiece created in Criccieth during the Covid pandemic, volunteers crocheted 5,000 poppies to be crafted into a stunning gown with an epic train - intended as a symbol of the loss of an entire community during the First and Second World Wars.
"The Longest Yarn is a thread through all our histories," said Gini Rivers, one of the founders of Friends of Mostyn Street.
"Every family had someone involved, affected or who worked on projects to take the fight to the Nazis from D-Day onwards. It was a global effort focused on a single outcome - to win peace.
"This project gathered those stories and hundreds of exceptionally skilled needlewomen and men have brought them to life in 3D. Here in Llandudno we are proud to have added to the story, bringing crafters from all corners of the UK and Wales together to commit a deeply felt town-wide act of remembrance.
"Through the individual, unique woollen poppies, figures, panels and D-Day themed post box toppers we have a touchstone for families to share their memories. We are proud and privileged to present the Longest Yarn to remember those who fought for all our freedom. Lest we forget."
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