Kirkcaldy's stunning war memorial poppy displays set for winter storage

The knitted poppy nets were created by members of the community as part of the Royal British Legion Scotland’s Kirkcaldy branch’s plans to mark the centenary of the town’s war memorial. The branch had invited people to knit or crochet 1500 poppies – one for every name on the memorial – which would then be placed on nets to form a cascade of poppies on the memorial’s central column.

However, the idea captured the community’s heart and the appeal left organisers overwhelmed when people created more than 8000 poppies.

The eye-catching and colourful display has been in place since June, but now organisers are preparing to take down the nets for the winter.

Bill Mason, chair of the Kirkcaldy branch, said: “We have decided that the War Memorial Poppy Nets will be taken down for the winter months. That will allow cleaning and general maintenance prior to a new 2026 season.

"They have stood up to the Kirkcaldy weather far better than we anticipated, but it is time for them to be rested. We have received incredible feedback on this community project and even the King had favourable comment.

"Once again we wanted to thank everyone who contributed.”

The external nets on the balcony at Kirkcaldy Galleries will also be placed into storage for now.

Mr Mason said that the plan is to take down the poppies on Saturday, November 29 at around 12 noon – so there is still time for people to see and enjoy them before then.

He added: “It's going to look strange without them and we wanted to keep the public and creators fully informed. It may be that if they live local, they might want to participate in the takedown, maintenance and storage.”