Special VE Day wool art installation wows Wonderwool Wales visitors

A wool art exhibition celebrating VE Day was unveiled for the first time at last weekend’s Wonderwool Wales, the premier wool and natural fibre festival in Wales held at the Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd.

The ‘Britain at War’ exhibition – The Longest Yarn 2 – had nine panels for its launch but will grow to 80 as extra panels are added during a tour of the UK over the coming months.

The first nine panels include VE Day, Bucklngham Palace, The Lorry on the Strand, The Street Party, The Conga at The Ritz with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, War is Declared, Coventry Cathedral is Bombed, Windows Taped up, The Few – Spitfire pilots with their dogs and Lumber Jills.

Founder Tansy Forster and her fellow knitters and crocheters are creating the new installation to follow on from the great success of The Longest Yarn, an 80 metre, 3D wool art depiction of the D-Day landings in France on June 6, 1944, which toured the UK last year and is currently touring America.

More than 1,000 knitters and crocheters from across the world contributed to the first project which snowballed from Tansy’s initial idea of a display for a garden wall at her home in Normandy.

“We were thrilled that Tansy and her group of fellow knitters produced the fantastic VE Day exhibition to be premiered at Wonderwool Wales,” said event director Chrissie Menzies.

“The exhibition attracted huge interest and so many positive comments over the weekend and I am certain it will meet with a same response as it tours the UK.”

The ‘Britain at War’ exhibition moves to Wells Cathedral until May 10, Gosport from May 12 to June 4, Plymouth from June 5 to 29, a venue to be confirmed from June 30 to July 21, Brecon from July 22 to 31 and Chiltern Open Air Museum August 1 to 31,

By September 3, at Southwell Minster, all 80 panels will be on show. The exhibition then travels to Stoke on Trent Minster in October, Sherborne Abbey in November and Leek in December.

In 2026, the tour heads to Kilkeel, Northern Ireland in January, Enniskillen in February, Penrith in March, Belfast in April, Lichfield Cathedral in May, Peterborough Cathedral in June, Nothe Fort, Weymouth in July, Gosport in August, Welshpool in September, Wrexham in October and Chorley in November.

“Due to the positive reception and success we have experienced with the Longest Yarn, we are excited to further develop our initiatives to ensure these significant  commemorations continue to be recognised,” said Tansy, who attended Wonderwool Wales shortly after returning from America.

“Britain at War examines how Britain navigated the war from September 3, 1939 to VE Day on May 8, 1945. Visitors to Wonderwool Wales were the first to see the start of 80-panel work we are currently working on.

“We have taken all aspects of life, rationing, evacuees, The Blitz, terrible headlines, when Britain was looking at ‘The Darkest Hour’, to end with the euphoria of peace.

“Our first 80 metre work, The Longest Yarn, which was done in time for the 80^th anniversary of D Day, is basically a knitted and crocheted storyboard on June 5, 1944, showing the decision making, build up, invasion and local impact.

“It reminds everyone of the destruction and ramifications of an event like this, plus it actually took 80 days to get to Paris with a bloody battle every day.

“When I first had my lightbulb moment, I really had no idea that it would lead to this incredible rollercoaster that I’ve been on for almost two years. 250,000 people have visited the first exhibition and raised the same in monetary terms.

“Through our efforts, we have actually strengthened the relationship between the historical remembrance and local engagement, demonstrating that celebrating history can also yield remarkable economic benefits.”

She explained that she is hoping to double the £250,000 raised so far to establish a halfway house for British veterans, whilst also supporting dog charities which support people with disabilities and medical conditions.

Tansy is also hopeful that The Longest Yarn will raise enough money in the USA to establish a halfway house for American veterans.

She is also hoping to find a permanent home for both exhibitions following their tours. A book ‘A Thread Through History’ is now on sale to raise funds. More information at: http://thelongestyarn.com/ .

A visitors who made a special trip to Wonderwool Wales at the weekend was Claire Holmes, leader of St Macartin’s Cathedral Knitwits Knitting and Crafting Group in Enniskillen.

She was instrumental in bringing The Longest Yarn to Enniskillen in January and February this year, having previously seen it in Normandy last summer.

Thousands of people from across Ireland and beyond travelled to see the exhibition at St Macartin’s Cathedral, giving a great boost to town traders during a traditionally quiet time of the year.

Claire and The Knitwits group is now working on a panel for ‘Britain at War – The Longest Yarn 2’ focused on the Americans arriving in Belfast during the Second World War.

“I was really pleased to see Tansy and the first panels on display at Wonderwool Wales, which was a great event,” she said.

More news like this can be found in The Country Smallholder magazine. Subscribe here.

For FREE updates from the world of smallholding, sign up for The Country Smallholder newsletter here.