Wool art exhibition celebrating VE Day unveiled in Wales

Powys County Times

05-05-2025

A wool art exhibition celebrating VE Day was unveiled for the first time in Llanelwedd last weekend.
The Britain at War exhibition – The Longest Yarn 2 – was displayed at Wonderwool Wales, the premier wool and natural fibre festival in Wales, held at the Royal Welsh Showground.
The exhibition consisted of nine panels at 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, Buckingham 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 a new installation following the 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 now touring America.
More than 1,000 knitters and crocheters from around the world contributed to the first project, which grew from Tansy's original idea of creating a display for a garden wall at her home in Normandy.
Event director Chrissie Menzies said: "We were thrilled that Tansy and her group of fellow knitters produced the fantastic VE Day exhibition to be premiered at Wonderwool Wales.
"The exhibition attracted huge interest and so many positive comments over the weekend and I am certain it will meet with the same response as it tours the UK."
The Britain at War exhibition will be at Wells Cathedral until May 10, before moving to 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 from August 1 to 31.
By September 3, at Southwell Minster, all 80 panels will be on display.
The exhibition then moves to Stoke on Trent Minster in October, Sherborne Abbey in November and Leek in December.
In 2026, the tour continues 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 in Weymouth in July, Gosport in August, Welshpool in September, Wrexham in October and Chorley in November.
Ms Forster, said: "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.
"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.
"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."
She explained that she hopes to double the £250,000 raised so far to help establish a halfway house for British veterans, while also supporting dog charities that assist people with disabilities and medical conditions.
Ms Forster is also hopeful that The Longest Yarn will raise enough money in the USA to establish a halfway house for American veterans.