A Dorchester resident has created an amazing tribute to mark Remembrance Day.

Fiona Hooper has created a "blanket of poppies" out of around 1,000 bottles, which cascades down the front of her house in Monmouth Road, in a bid to raise money for the Royal Air Force (RAF) Benevolent Fund.

She was inspired by someone who used old drinks bottles to create poppies and stood them on sticks to come out of the ground.

Fiona said: "I wanted to do something a bit different, so I thought I would do something coming from the window, make a wave of it.

"I've been collecting bottles since Christmas. People have been leaving bags on my doorstep and I've even got a lady up in Derby who sent me a couple of boxfuls of the bottoms of bottles.

"I've got a craft room and just go in there and paint the bottles, then I put them together and laid them out on the back lawn because I wasn't quite sure what shape it was or how long it was - it's 12ft long.

"It looked like a blanket of poppies and I rolled it up and dropped it out of the window."

Both Fiona's grandfathers served in the Royal Navy, her uncle was a Royal Marine and her dad served in the Royal Air Force and she has "a passion for planes".

Fiona thinks there is around 1,000 bottles that make up the beautiful poppy blanket and the response to it from the community has been "amazing".

She added: "I set up a Just Giving page and because it asks for a target, I put £200 and I've just changed it to £400 - I've got £300 there already and had around £100 put through my door.

"I'm really pleased and I contacted the RAF Benevolent Fund to say I was doing it and they are really pleased about it."

To raise funds for the charity in the past, Fiona has made Vulcan-shaped shortbread biscuits, which she sold at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire, but hasn't been able to go to for a couple of years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

She said: "I'm wondering what I'm going to do next year. It will probably be the biscuits and hopefully we will be back there [Royal International Air Tattoo]."

For those who would like to donate, they can visit justgiving.com or use one of the envelopes on Fiona's doorstep and put some money through the door.

Fiona has also written a poem which can been seen in her window by the poppy display and laminated copies are available to take away.

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