A large amount of painted stones have been transformed into a long "snake" to bring joy to people passing by.  

It is made up of more than 1,300 painted stones and pebbles which were laid by children in Abbots Langley and Leavesden.

The first seven stones were left in Leavesden Country Park on May 20 by Becky and her daughters Freya, 5 and eight-year-old Daisy.

Their idea quickly caught on with hundreds more children adding their painted stones along the path.

Daisy said: "We made the snake to give children something fun to do during lockdown and we hoped it would make people feel happy on their walks.

"We have enjoyed counting the stones on our walks to the park and seeing all the different pictures on them."

Her sister, Freya added: "People have said lots of nice things to use and wanted to add a stone to our snake."

Hillingdon Times:

Eight-year-old Daisy (right) and Freya, 5. Credit: TRDC 

Many of the stones were decorated with rainbows and words of thanks for NHS staff.

Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) leader, Cllr Sara Bedford said she wanted the stones to stay in the park as a memory of the pandemic.

After a site visit with the council's leisure team, the stones were gathered and varnished to waterproof them. The snake was constructed by placing the stones in fast setting concrete.

Cllr Bedford said: "I would like to thank Daisy and Freya for leading the way for the community and whose ideas and artwork will now continue to bring joy to others.

Hillingdon Times:

Hillingdon Times:

The "snake" made out of pebbles and stones in the park. Credit: TRDC 

"The 'snake' will serve as a memory of this time and will show that Abbots Langley stuck together and supported others through the pandemic.

"This project has highlighted the strong community spirit in Abbots Langley, and shows how important parks are to everyone’s mental health and well-being.

"The leisure team have worked so hard to bring the project together so quickly and residents appreciate their work."