A cascade of red poppies has been unfurled down the Westgate Towers today, creating a spectacular symbol of remembrance to the fallen.

The project is the brainchild of former Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal organiser Andrew Heatlie, who has been working on the display with a small team of volunteers for months.

It is made from 3,300 plastic bottle bottoms, which have been sprayed red.

VIDEO: The display being installed. Courtesy of Canterbury City Council.

The spectacle will be officially launched at 2.15pm in front of the Sheriff of Canterbury Cllr Jeanette Stockley to mark the start of the Poppy Appeal in Kent.

Also present will be city and county council and Royal British Legion representatives as well as local legion members and supporters.

Mr Heatlie said: “We started on it back in March and it has been a lot of hard work but we believe it will be a really eye-catching and poignant symbol of remembrance, the like of which has not been seen in the city before.”

The city council has given its blessing to the cascade down the historic towers and is helping with the installation.

On Monday, another cascade of 10,000 knitted poppies will be revealed in the Marlowe Arcade. It has been produced by a team of volunteer knitters using red wool donated by Closs & Hamblin in St Margaret's Street.

A field of remembrance containing 531 individually-marked poppy crosses is also being installed in the Cathedral precincts.

It will be set up next week and remain until November 12.