Schoolchildren have helped a team of knitters create a gigantic bunting display which the community far and wide have contributed to.

Volunteers having been working as fast as their fingers allow since the challenge to beat the world record longest bunting was set out in a meeting of Beccles Town Council in January.

While knitters sadly fell short of the record, held by the Devon County Show in 2020, the bunting produced in Beccles was over a mile long - approximately 1700 metres.

Caroline Topping, who spearheaded the attempt, said it was a very social activity and lots of fun.

Mrs Topping said: "“It was a massive effort and I am so pleased with the uptake and support the campaign received.

"It was really inclusive for many people, helped certain groups of people socially, and ultimately the community all chipped in and had lots of fun in doing so."

The Beccles bunting contained a total of 5,739 individual flags knitted, which Mrs Topping said took an average time of half-an-hour to knit each flag.

She said: "That means a minimum of 86,085 hours worth of continuous knitting went into the creation of the bunting.

"This is extraordinary and I'm delighted by everyone's efforts."

Plans began in January, initially started in honour of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Mrs Topping said: "Now the bunting is complete and we finally lay it out we must reflect on her wonderful reign - after all it is her why we all took part in this process initially."

On top of the social and enjoyment benefits, Mrs Topping was proud that many participants had learnt a new life skill which they never could do before.

She said: "We had people who had never knitted or crocheted before, Sheryl, the community champion from Morrisons couldn’t knit or sew before we started this, and now she can do both.

“Sheryl was amazing throughout, offering a hand start to finish and helped me with five others lay the bunting out at Albert Pye School.

"Victoria Jermany at Parlour Made deserves an honourable mention too - her ladies made a huge amount of bunting, Hungate Church knitting group supplied us with several hundred flags also.

"And a big thank you to Brian Barr, without his drone footage we wouldn’t have been able to see the extent of the work we have done.”