It took many hours to create, but after months of hard work a stunning display has been hailed as 'amazing' by people in Lowestoft.

This hand-crocheted poppy dress has been on show at the Salvation Army charity shop in London Road South, Kirkley. Poignantly unveiled to tie in with Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday services, this display of knitted poppies on a centrepiece dress captivated onlookers.

Shop manager Sue Coleman said: 'Knowing that one of our volunteers, Fiona Briggs, is very good at crocheting, this poppy dress was created. It features more than 3,000 poppies crocheted by the Poppies By The Sea group that were sent in from members across the world.

'It was about 10 months of getting the crocheting done, took four ladies to lift it and then it broke the first mannequin as it is very heavy. The feedback really has been overwhelming – people were saying that they have never seen anything so beautiful and commenting on how nice it was.

'It was just out of this world, and all down to Fiona,' Miss Coleman added.

The Poppies By The Sea group have been making hand crafted poppies in Waveney to raise money for the Royal British Legion and Commonwealth War Graves Commission. A similar poppy dress window display was on show at Simply Cards in Beccles.

Fiona Briggs, of the Poppies By The Sea group, said: 'It was my idea to use the shop windows as a canvas for our displays, and of the 3,000 poppies on the dress in Kirkley some were sent to our group by ladies from Australia, New Zealand and all over the UK – the response was just amazing.'

Miss Coleman regularly organises window displays at the Kirkley shop, in London Road South, with displays at Valentines, Easter and Christmas.