Historic Cornish church lit up with poppies ahead of Remembrance Day

The tower of an historic church in Cornwall has been illuminated with a projection of poppies throughout the Remembrance period this November.

The idea to light up Stithians Church near Redruth came from resident Claire Sylvester, who is married to an RAF veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Claire says she wanted to put together a tribute that would unite the community in remembrance.

She said: "I wanted to honour not just my husband and business partner, but all the brave souls fromour village who have sacrificed so much.

"Seeing the poppies illuminate our historic church fills me with pride and helps our community come together in a shared moment of reflection."

Claire is also a businesswoman and committee member of the Stithians Christmas Lights Appeal. She worked alongside other local businesses to make the project happen.

Claire says the church was chosen as it has an impressive war memorial at its entrance, commemorating men who served in the First and Second World Wars.

The large poppy projection was switched on at the start of November and has since been gathering popularity on social media, attracting many emotional comments.

Local resident Keith Moyle said: "This is so nice to see.

"I'm very proud of what my dad did to keep our freedom, along with all those other brave people from the village."

Once the period of remembrance concludes, the team behind the lights plan to use the projector again to illuminate the church with a festive theme.

It will be lit up with snowflakes in time for the village's annual Festival of Lights and Christmas Lights Switch-On on the 7 December.