Knitters 'astonished' to receive King's award

A group of North Yorkshire knitters have received the King's highest award for volunteering.

Ripon Community Poppy Project was set up seven years ago, with the aim of celebrating 100 years since the end of World War One through knitted displays.

Their latest project was a life-sized knitted tank to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Volunteers were told today they had been given the King’s Award for Voluntary Service - the equivalent of an individual being appointed MBE.

Stuart Martin, one of the group organisers, said he had known about the award for about three weeks but had been "sworn to secrecy".

The knitters had been called to Hazel House, under the impression they were there for a photoshoot.

"It was magical to watch everybody’s face, it was really nice and it was well deserved," Mr Martin said.

"So many people have put so much time in, I can only say thank you to everybody from sponsors to individual people to volunteers, they’ve been so supportive of everything we do."

Fellow organiser Hazel Barker said she had been "absolutely flabbergasted, astonished and proud" of what the knitters had achieved.

"Every single person who has done a little bit has made it all come together," she said.

The knitted projects have received lots of attention from across the country and the group hoped they would bring more footfall to Ripon.

Also receiving the King's Award for Voluntary Service was North Yorkshire’s Lower Ure Conservation Trust.

The trust owns and manages Nosterfield Nature Reserve, which is a 250-acre site restored from old sand and gravel workings.

Volunteers over the years have built observation hides, enhanced wet grassland habitat for threatened wildlife species and created a reedbed and fen.

They said receiving the award was "the most tremendous honour".

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.