Volunteers from Teignmouth Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) have created a garden of knitted and crocheted poppies to mark Remembrance Sunday.

The poppy flowerbed and a handcrafted wreath have been installed on the Den in Teignmouth around the stone urn presented by Belgian refugees who stayed in Teignmouth during the First World War. Teignmouth hosted over 1000 Belgian refugees between 2015 and 2019.

RNLI supporters from Teignmouth and beyond have donated the knitted and crocheted poppies over the past few weeks ahead of the garden’s installation.

All 336 names listed on Teignmouth’s war memorial have been written on the leaves of the poppies in the flowerbed.

The poppies will be on display for 11 days before being carefully packed away and stored for future use.

The crafters also created a wreath that they handed over to the special Poppies to Paddington train service organised by the Great Western Railway, which called at Teignmouth station at 6.57 on Monday (November 11).

The poppy memorial project has been overseen by Teignmouth RNLI volunteer engagement crew Anne Steel Arnett. She thanked all who contributed. ‘Without their efforts, this wouldn’t have been possible,’ she said.

Earlier this year, Anne, who has been volunteering for the RNLI for 22 years, raised more than £2000 for the RNLI when she ran the London Marathon.

Teignmouth RNLI is preparing to receive a new Atlantic 85 Class lifeboat this week as The Two Annes is retired after 18 years of service. The Two Annes arrived in Teignmouth on August 1 2006 and saved numerous lives during her tenure in the town.

Visitors packed Teignmouth lifeboat station on Saturday after volunteers opened the boathouse to allow supporters to say a final goodbye to The Two Annes. The new lifeboat will also be an Atlantic 85 Class.