A VILLAGE church is staging its own moving tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of the Somme.

Wilsden Trinity Church is planning to commemorate the fallen with a poignant variation of the Tower of London's display of ceramic poppies, which progressively filled the landmark's famous moat in 2014 to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Worshippers aim to place 1,770 knitted or crocheted poppies – equivalent to the number of Bradford Pals who were killed or injured within the first hour of the Battle of the Somme – on stems in the Chapel Row churchyard.

The display will take place on July 1, a century on from the start of the bloody battle, and the following day.

"It is estimated that about 2,000 Bradford men went 'over the top' on that first day of the Battle of the Somme," said Jane Callaghan, for the project.

"The Pals battalions raised in Bradford and other northern towns and cities, including Keighley, were particularly badly hit.

"They were specially-constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruitment drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours and colleagues – hence the Pals – rather than being arbitrarily allocated to battalions.

"The result on July 1 was that a huge number of young men from our own area fought and fell together."

She has issued a plea to knitters across the district to support the church's venture.

"People in the village and church groups around the area are already knitting furiously but many more poppies are needed," she added.

"We are appealing to the area's knitters to help us reach our target in time."

Completed poppies can be posted to the church, in Chapel Row, or placed in specially-provided buckets at the village hall, Co-op or Wilsden Pharmacy.

Following the display, the poppies will be sold for minimum donations of £2, with all proceeds going to the British Legion.

Coinciding with the event there will be a free exhibition in the church, from 10am to 5pm both days, exploring life in the trenches and on the home front.

And a magic lantern show – Atky's Story, based on the First World War memories of a Wilsden man, who lived to tell the tale – will be held on the evening of July 1.

It will be interspersed with music hall favourites from the time.

Tickets will be on sale soon from Jane on 07986 294757.

l Easy-ribbed poppy knitting pattern:

Using red yarn, cast on 60 stitches (size 9 needles).

Rows 1-10: K2, P2 across whole row (for a slightly smaller poppy do eight rows of rib).

Row 11: Knit two stitches together across the row (30 stitches).

Row 12: Slip one stitch, knit two stitches together then pass the slip stitch over. Repeat across the whole row (10 stitches).

Break off yarn with long tail and thread back through remaining stitches and pull tight. Join edges with mattress stitch.

For centre of poppy, use black yarn and cast on 16 sts. Cast off. Coil into a tight spiral and sew base to the poppy centre. Alternatively, sew on a black button with four holes.