British actor Jim Carter, best known for his role as Charles Carson in ITV's Downton Abbey, has been announced as a patron for Shrouds of the Somme.

Founded by artist Rob Heard in 2013, the organisation creates 12 inch hand-stitched shroud figures to illustrate the enormity of the loss of life on the Somme battlefields. Carter commented 'Last summer I was part of a very moving recital in Exeter Cathedral with Show of Hands to commemorate the centenary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Running in tandem to the recital was one of the most extraordinary artworks I have ever witnessed. It was called Shrouds of the Somme. It was an acutely moving depiction of loss and remembrance'.