A Stoke-on-Trent woman has already knitted over 250 poppies to raise money for the Royal British Legion this November – and is hoping to reach 300.

Steph Rowley, 54, has been spending her evenings knitting hundreds of poppies which will be sold in Longton ahead of Remembrance Day this year.

The full-time weighbridge operator started knitting back in July and has since been spending evenings after work creating the poppies.

Steph has been making poppies for friends and family over several years but explained that last year the project really "took off" after she knitted around 270 to be sold in the town.

She said: "I was getting messages every other day, 'I need more poppies, I need more poppies'. That's why I started early this year."

With the help of other members of the Longton community – including Mavis, Sheila and Sue – and the Longton Community Partnership, Steph created and sold hundreds of poppies last year.

The team also created a poppy display within Longton market featuring the handmade poppies as well as artwork created by visiting children.

Steph – who has even been spotted by locals in the town as the "poppy queen" - said she enjoyed watching all of their hard work come together.

She said: "It was nice just walking around the town and going, 'that's my poppy. That person's got my poppy on'."

The display is due to return to the market this year, as hundreds more poppies handmade by Steph and other locals go on sale for £1.

Steph has been a part of many fundraising projects and events, including taking part in the Dougie Mac Moonlight walk for 10 years in a row.

She has also previously used her knitting to support local causes, including knitting around 150 blue poppies to help raise money for the gravestone of her friend who passed away aged 19.

The poppy appeal is also a personal cause for Steph, whose grandmother worked in a munitions factory in the 1940s.

Several members of her family - including her uncle, brothers-in-law and nephews - have also served in the armed forces.

Steph hopes to work with local residents and businesses again this year to raise money for the Royal British Legion, and said that the Longton community is good at 'pulling together'.

She said: "It's all coming together with the new precinct getting more and more shops of different kinds: florists, cafes.

"And then in the market, everybody pulls together, and it's taking off at the moment with so many different stalls in there. You could go in there and get everything you wanted."

Steph added: "The community is getting better in Longton because everybody thinks that it's up and coming."

The knitted poppies are due to go on sale in Longton market and participating local businesses in the coming weeks.

To get involved in the project, contact the Longton Community Partnership or Steph Rowley directly on Facebook.