Staff at a city centre store have been getting up close and personal with the the royal family - in aid of a good cause.

For to mark the royal wedding, workers at John Lewis have created a special keep-sake made entirely of wool.

The staff from the haberdashery department have spent two weeks knitting the royal family as part of their royal wedding celebration.

A total of 11 workers turned their needles to the task to re-create each member including Prince William, Kate Middleton, the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the famous royal corgis.

And customers can enter their name into a competition to win the dolls by visiting the city centre store where they will be on display in the haberdashery from Saturday April 23 to Friday April 29.

The decision to make the woolly replicas was made when the sales team noticed the book, Knit Your Own Royal Wedding, was proving popular in the store.

It provides keen knitters with a guide to making their own royal wedding day scene, with patterns to knit the royal family, as well as added extras such as the Archbishop of Canterbury and royal footmen.

Sales assistant at John Lewis, Michelle Massingham, said she was a knitting novice before making Kate Middleton, who she decorated with real make-up.

'It was interesting because I had not done much knitting before, but the girls were here to help me if I had any questions,' said the worker from Waterloo Road near Sprowston.

'There were a few fiddly bits involved with re-creating Kate, including the ring which I made with a diamante.'

As well as entering the competition, shoppers can donate money to Norwich-based charities, the St Martins Housing Trust and the Sexual Violence Alliance.

Meanwhile, sales assistant Eleri Williams, who helped make the dolls, said she managed to knit the footman in a week even though she is not an expert.

Mrs Williams, of Thorpe St Andrew, said: 'As long as you know the basics of knitting they are not too hard to make.

'I have been doing it in between serving customers when the store has been quiet. Shoppers were really interested in what I have been doing.'

The winners of the knitted royal family will be announced on Friday April 29, where they will receive the dolls themselves, the balcony stand and the Knit Your Own Royal Family Book.

Laura Gray, pr and marketing co-ordinator at John Lewis, said: 'We are supporting two really important charities and if people would like to donate money they can do so in the store.'

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