THE Weeping Window exhibition at Hereford Catherdal has now been visited by over 91,000 people since it launched last month.

This figure has been collected by a team of volunteers who electronically record each visitor that passes through the cathedral.

The number will naturally increase by the time of the exhibition's closure at the end of this month – and there are hopes the final figure will surpass 100,000.

The success of the exhibition has been celebrated by a number of independent businesses along nearby Church Street who have noticed an increase in trade and visitors to the historic shopping street since the exhibition has been in town.

Lin Jones, shop assistant at health food shop Fodder, said: "The street is really busy. There has been new customers and and customers who live in Hereford but did not know that Church Street exists. All the cafes along the street have been busy all the time."

She added: "It really has put Church Street on the map."

This sentiment was shared by a spokesperson from French-inspired cafe La Madeleine, who said: "The exhibition has been very good for trade and the footfall down Church Street has greatly increased."

The Poppies: Weeping Window exhibition is currently in Hereford as part of a nationwide tour to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War and showcases several thousand handmade ceramic poppies.

The free exhibition is open at Hereford Cathedral until April 29.