Remembrance poppy display in Dorchester raises £1,400

A woman who created a remembrance display out of used plastic bottles has said she is "over the moon" after it raised hundreds of pounds for charity.

Fiona Hooper made the cascade of poppies, each individually cut out from the bottom of 1,000 drinks containers, at her home in Dorchester, Dorset.

The bottles were donated by friends and family, including from Derbyshire.

The display raised just over £1,400 for the RAF Benevolent Fund, which described it as a "moving tribute".

Ms Hooper said: "I'm over the moon, especially as I had an initial target of £200."

The project, which she started work on at her house on Monmouth Road in January, also included a poem she had written called Where Poppies Bloom.

After disassembling the display on Monday, she said: "I've taken them [the poppies] all apart and they are going into a box for next year - I have a plan already."

Ms Hooper, whose father was in the RAF, is a regular fundraiser for the RAF Benevolent Fund, which provides support for veterans and their families, including for injury and illness, financial hardship and disability.

Charlotte Barmby, regional fundraiser at the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: "Remembrance Day is an important opportunity for us to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice serving their country.

"Fiona's poppy display is a moving tribute to those who risked their lives."

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