Community groups, churches and schools are being asked to help cover Bradford in thousands of poppies to remember local lives lost in the First World War.

CNet, a community empowerment project in the city, has got 100 packets of red Flanders poppy seeds to give away for planting as part of a national campaign marking 100 years since the start of one of the deadliest conflicts in human history.

The Centenary Poppy Campaign is being run by the Royal British Legion and B&Q to commemorate the huge sacrifice – and CNet is backing it.

Bradford community worker Muppett got in touch with the campaign after seeing an embankment by a disused railway in the Dales planted with the seeds.

He said: “I read the board explaining where the seeds had come from and thought if they can do it in the Dales then it was something we should be getting involved with in Bradford.

“There is hardly a village or town in our district that doesn’t have its own memorial to the war dead and then I thought particularly of our own Bradford Pals, where whole streets of young men were wiped out at the Somme never to come home again.”

The Bradford Pals formed part of the West Yorkshire Regiment and on July 1, 1916 they took part in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

At 7.30 that morning 2,000 young men from Bradford left their trenches and by the end of the first hour 1,770 of them had either been killed or injured During the First World War the total number of military and civilian casualties was more than 37 million. There were more than 16 million deaths and more than 20 million wounded.

Muppett added:“What better tribute could we pay them than plant thousands of striking Flanders poppies to keep our memories of them vivid?”

Each packet of seeds has 1,000 seeds ready to sow, says Muppett, but the landowner has to give permission before any planting goes ahead.

To find out how to get a packet of seeds contact Muppett on (01274) 305045 or e-mail him at muppett@cnet.org.uk