A ‘sea of poppies display’ created by supporters from the local community and beyond is now on display outside the Old Low Light Heritage Centre on North Shields Fish Quay.

The project, led by Old Low Light volunteers, sisters Margaret Sturmey and Sue Myers, adorns railings along Clifford’s Fort.

They called out for support from knitters and crocheters over the summer, holding workshops in the heritage centre.

In a thank-you message to supporters, Margaret and Sue said they were “beyond grateful for one’s hard work”. They reckoned  the project resulted in more than 3,000 poppies, some created in the workshops, others at home and dropped off at the centre, and they also received packages through the post from all over the country.

After completing their waves of poppies, they had enough to make decorations for inside the heritage centre, as well as some on the anchor monument outside North Shields Register Office, once the headquarters of the Stag Line shipping company.

Margaret and Sue decided to create the ‘sea of poppies’ in memory of their grandmother’s two husbands who were lost at sea, one during WW1 and the other during WW2 and all others lost during conflicts.

The project complements the current exhibition at the heritage centre, ‘Merchant Navy – Tyneside Stories’.

Centre director Guy Moody said: “This is a wonderful display which has involved so much support not only from our local community but far beyond. We are grateful to Margaret and Sue and to everyone who has helped.”