THESE tiny sculptures have made a huge impact in remembering the fallen.

Standing at less than two inches tall, unframed and created by Alresford artist Nic Joly, they have helped raise nearly £50,000 for the Royal British Legion.

The special edition sculptures called 'Never Forgotten' were made to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I Each piece is expertly made by Mr Joly, who uses bronze to craft the figures and tissue paper to form the petals of the poppy, with the miniature sculptures standing on a block of white marble.

They depict two soldiers raising the ultimate symbol of remembrance, a red poppy, and have touched the hearts of people around the world with Joly receiving letters of thanks from as far afield as Canada, New Zealand and Japan.

People are purchasing the piece for deeply personal reason, including a lady who bought the sculpture as an engagement present for her fiancé wounded in Afghanistan and an ex-Serviceman who remembers his fallen comrades when he looks at the piece.

Mr Joly has made 1,566 pieces - which represents each day the war was fought - and with individual sculpture labelled on the back with a unique piece of information about that day during the Great War.

More than 450 editions have been sold since it was released with £100 from each sale being donated to the charity which provides lifelong support for the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, Reservists, veterans, and their families.

Mr Joly was inspired to begin the 'Never Forgotten' project after meeting a 96-year-old Battle of Arnhem veteran.

He shared a photo of his completed piece on social media and received an amazing response which went viral with more than 28,000 people sharing the image and the original was auctioned off to a veteran's charity raising £7,500 for ex-Marines in need of support.

This year sees the artist donate his own Never Forgotten sculpture which will go up for auction at the Legion's annual Poppy Ball. This Poppy Appeal, Mr Joly will also attend the Festival of Remembrance at The Royal Albert Hall as a guest of the Legion, as sales of 'Never Forgotten' continue to help veterans, past and present, and their family members.

Mr Joly, said: “I have met some wonderful people since the launch of the Never Forgotten project, from WWII veterans to double amputee soldiers from the Afghanistan conflict.

“Their stories put the world we live in into a crystal clear reality of what is important in life, we can learn so much from these unsung heroes.

“In my own small way, I want this piece to remind us that all those who have given their lives, in conflicts from the First World War until the present day, will be Never Forgotten."

The sculptures are available to buy from Castle Fine Art and Castle Galleries across the UK and cost £695 with £100 from each sale being donated to the biggest Armed Forces charity, to help the artist reach his goal of raising £150,000 for the Legion.