The incredible dress made with 5,000 poppies which is 'painting the town red'!

What an enchanting dress, and such a wonderful tribute to our brave Men and Women of the past and present Forces.

With autumn upon us, many will be thinking about outfits for the holidays and end-of-year celebrations, but there is one dress that they won't be able to get for those purposes. Built from more than 5,000 poppies, an incredible red dress will be available for all to see - but not try on - this November.

Criccieth's Gown of Poppies will be displayed in the Senedd building in the town's centre this November to commemorate Remembrance Day. The project to make the dress was the inspiration of local resident Susan Humphries, who used more than 5,000 poppies and worked with more than 150 volunteers to bring it all together.

The dress was originally made in 2020 following the town council's appeal for volunteers to "paint the town red" through knitting and crocheting poppies. The Gown of Poppies was part of an exhibition in the shops on the High Street which ran for months in lockdown, featured on S4C and the BBC nationwide and had a major impact online.

Ms Humphries said: “Creating the poppy dress, inspired by the community project, kept me going through most of the lockdown. The train of community poppies is really something special.”

In 2020, the dress contributed to Criccieth town council picking up the Creative Lives National Award 2021. The exhibition, which is sponsored by the Minister for Health and Social Services Eluned Morgan MS, will run from November 2 to November 29 to coincide with the annual period of remembrance.

Pictured from left to right are: Pam Mayo, Susan Humphries, Margaret Rees, Catrin Jones, who have all been involved with the project (Image: Andrew Kime)

Liz Saville Roberts MP said “The woman is a symbol of the loss suffered by the whole community. Dressed in a gown of poppies, she is wrapped in the grief that so many women have had to endure."

Local poet and musician Gwyneth Glyn, a resident of Criccieth, took a moment to reflect on the gown, saying: "I remember the first time I saw the iconic red dress on display in the window of Siop yr Eifion on Criccieth high street. I stood still, amazed.

"She was a symbol of love, of loss, but also of strength. I saw it afterward, displayed in the Memorial Hall, and its significance was even more poignant in the context of 'the pain of losing the boys'. There’s more than knitted poppies woven into the dress; indeed, the dress itself has knitted us, the women of Criccieth, closer to each other, and closer to the women of yesterday and today in their loss and their strength."

Cllr Sian Williams, chair of the town council, said: "This wonderful gown with international appeal is symbolic of loss and it deserves a national platform. It is a privilege to be able to display at the Senedd building for this year's Remembrance. It's fantastic to see the gown come to life with Gwyneth Glyn wearing it on Criccieth beach."

From...https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/incredible-dress-made-5000-poppies-25424478