EIGHTY Kington men, never to return home from the First World War, are movingly remembered with a community-wide show of gratitude in the parish church.

From a laurel arch adorning the entrance to St Mary’s to a spectacular cascade within, the church is aglow with scarlet for a commemorative Poppy Festival which details each of the soldiers and sailors from Kington who died while fighting for their country a century ago.

The vicar, the Rev Ben Griffiths has been astounded at the level of support in response to St Mary’s appeal to remember Kington’s sacrifice during the Great War.

Contributions to the festival, which continues each day until Sunday evening, range from Kington County Primary School’s sterling effort in decorating the font, while nursing home residents at Kington Court and the Garth have produced their own touching poppy arrangements.

Kington Museum has presented a display, as has ‘Kington Remembers’, a detailed study of the town’s involvement between 1914 – 1918 and Kington Town Council, while Gladestry funeral directors, A.W.Hughes & Son have donated a Royal British Legion ‘Silent Soldier’ silhouette which stands in the chancel. An interwoven arch of poppies and laurel at the south door has been arranged by staff at Hergest Croft Gardens, while cascades at either end of the nave, inspired by the famous Weeping Window, are made up from thousands of hand-knitted poppies. Contributors from all over Kington, from across the Welsh border and even from North Wales have helped towards the overall impact. One member of the Kington congregation is known to have knitted a remarkable 400 poppies.

“It just shows how the community has been involved,” said Mr Griffiths. “So many people have been to visit the festival and everyone has been talking about it.”

He said the church wanted to ‘Tell Tommy’s Story’. “We wanted to do more than just list names but to show the lives they lived until they became casualties of the war. Each man is remembered with memorial cards placed around the church; they are all here.”

A representation of the moving poem, In Flanders Fields is possibly the most poignant section of the overall spectacle. One poppy for each of Kington’s 80 men killed during the war is being added during the festival, some planted by their descendants. The final ones will not be put in place until this weekend’s special Remembrance Sunday service attended by Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Edward Harley.

n The festival continues each day from 10am – 4pm. Sunday’s Remembrance service will be at 10am in St Mary’s with the Act of Remembrance at the cenotaph in Kington at 10.45am. A Choral Evensong at 6pm will conclude the festival.