The village of Rolleston is set to turn red for much of the year as commemorations are held to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

Poppy seeds have been handed out to residents in the village to sow so that when the Armistice comes around, the streets will be lined with the flowers, to commemorate the poppy fields where the bloodiest battles were fought.

Organisers are hoping to create a ribbon of red flowers and plants running through Rolleston from early spring until late autumn and beyond.

Poppy seeds have been distributed all over the village

The red plants will provide a continuing floral tribute in remembrance as the centenary of the Armistice Day approaches.

Simon Richardson, who is co-ordinating the event, said: "We wanted to turn the village red because 2018 is 100 years since the guns fell silent on the battlefields.

"We have handed out poppy seeds and plug plants to residents to plant, and we will be planting lots of our own when the frost has died down a little.

One of the restored parts of the former station is the Rolleston-on-Dove sign
Rolleston will turn red for the centenary

"We're already giving out more than 600 plug plants, so hopefully the village will look beautiful to remember those who lost their lives."

Official records state that more than 18 million people died in the war which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

In Rolleston, several young men lost their lives when fighting in the war, including Edward Frank Hadland, Corporal Wilfred Arnold, Percy Faulkner and Eric Dunicliffe.