ON Saturday, Knighton supporters of Wool Against Weapons will find out if the scarf which they have been busily knitting and crocheting for nearly 18 months will reach its goal. Their aim was to produce a scarf 60 centimetres wide and long enough to stretch down the hill from Knighton’s historic Clock Tower to the town’s Cenotaph in Brookside Square, a distance of well over 100 metres.

If they succeed, the knitters can be forgiven a touch of pride, for Knighton’s contribution, when joined to all the others being knitted in many countries, will comprise one-hundredth of an enormous seven-mile peace scarf. Seven miles is the distance between Aldermaston and Burghfield, the two sites in Berkshire which make up Britain’s Atomic Weapons Establishment and, on August 9, the giant scarf will be rolled out between them in a massive demonstration for peace, organised by Action AWE (Atomic Weapons Eradication) and CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament).

The festive event in Knighton will not be on quite the same scale but when, at 11.30 am, the town crier rings his bell and yells his oyez, the scarf will be ceremonially unrolled down Broad Street until, hopefully, the Cenotaph is reached. The celebrations will be joined by the Teme Valley Ceilidh Band, hand-bell ringers, the Pales Peace Choir and some giant puppets.

After the scarf has done its bit for peace, it will be turned into blankets for distribution to needy people around the world.