Bury St Edmunds has announced in Remembrance week an ambitious two-year project for the town to host a memorial art trail in the run-up to Armistice Day in 2018 – marking 100 years since the end of the conflict.

The chairman of Bury’s Royal British Legion David Kemp called it a “fitting time of year” to announce the project.

The groundbreaking project is now looking for local artists who took part in the town’s highly-successful Wolf Trail and many others to come forward with ideas and inspirations on what form the trail should take.

“The wolf trail was very successful and I wanted to do something again,” said Mark Cordell, chief executive of Ourburystedmunds, who first had the idea.

“I didn’t want to just do another animal trail, that’s commonplace now. I wanted Bury again to do something unique and raise the profile of the town in this important anniversary.”

It is early stages, but the plan is for the artworks to be auctioned afterwards in aid of the West Suffolk Hospital charity My WiSH.

Fundraising manager Sue Smith said: “It’s going to be very exciting, it’s going to be bringing the community back together again and it’s going to allow our younger generation to become more aware of the First World War and what it means today, which I think is extremely important.”

Mr Kemp said: “It’s a fitting time of year to announce this art trail and I very much look forward to hearing more about it as the plans progress.”

The artworks, which can be an interpretation of anything connected to the First World War, will be displayed in public spaces and buildings across the town.

At this early stage, Mr Cordell said they had not decided exactly what the art trail would look like.

He said they had chosen to announce it now to give more time to plan the trail and listen to ideas – more time than the five-month lead-up to the Wolf Trail.

“We wanted to have a longer run-up to plan it and give greater thought to what can be used and talk to local artists. We’re very keen to keep the local aspect and have individual, different pieces of art that look very different,” he said.

There are also hopes local schools will be involved in coming up with ideas for the trail.

Mr Cordell said “nothing is ruled out” so far for the trail, which is planned to launch in the early summer of 2018 and run through to Armistice Day in 2018.

Anyone wanting to get involved should contact Sue Smith on 01284 712952 or sue.smith@wsh.nhs.uk