A CHURCH near Cockermouth has been decorated with hundreds of handmade poppies to mark the Armistice centenary.

St Philip's Church is festooned with more than 500 poppies - many have been knitted, others have been made using plastic bottles and egg boxes.

Church member Beth Moon came up with the idea. She knitted hundreds of the flowers, having started in July, and also made most of the plastic ones.

She had a team of five helpers from the church, including Chris Shaw.

"They look absolutely splendid. People have been very supportive and have been dropping off materials for us," said Mrs Shaw.

"Most of the poppies are red but one window is dedicated to animals, with purple for horses and blue for dogs."

There are also eight large poppies on the lane up to the church, each commemorating a local man who died in World War One.

The church will be holding a service of remembrance on Sunday. There will be a short service beside the war memorial in the grounds at 10.50am, this will be followed by the main service inside at 11am. Children from Eaglesfield Paddle School will be involved.