A STUNNING Covid snake has slithered into the grounds of a primary school and will remain there as a permanent reminder of the pandemic.
The stone sequence - a series of more than 500 beautifully-coloured rocks - was started by Rebecca Sturges at the King George V playing field, in Clairmont Road, Colchester.
Now, as a reminder of the historic significance of coronavirus, it has been moved to Lexden Primary School, in Trafalgar Road.
It has been cemented into place and has its own plaque, providing a permanent reminder of what the country has been through.
Mrs Sturges said: "I started painting rocks at the beginning of the first lockdown.
"I'd been furloughed from work and needed something to keep me busy so set up my Crafty Purple Rocks Facebook page.
"I noticed so many people were out walking with their children so my aim was to paint and hide rocks and pebbles for them to find, in the hope it made them smile.
"I received lots of lovely messages and some asked what I used to paint them as they wanted to get involved.
"It was lovely and overwhelming so I thought why not start a rock snake at our park?
"That way the whole community could get involved, paint a rock and keep them in one place to see how far we could grow the snake.
"We reached over 500 rocks and so many people messaged me to say how fantastic it looked and how their children wanted to go see it every day."
Lexden headteacher Alex Candler
Mrs Sturges was keen for her snake to have a permanent home and approached Lexden Primary School.
She was delighted when they said yes and offered to cement it in their playground as a memory of the lockdown, to show how the community came together.
"I didn’t want everyone’s efforts to just disappear," she said.
"They were thrilled to be asked and have cemented some of the brightest rocks and pebbles in a display for the community to see.
"Like many, I'll never forget how hard lockdown was but I’m so happy everyone came together and helped to create something spectacular that will be viewed for many years to come.
"I still continue to paint rocks and hide them on my walks.
"Maybe we'll start another snake soon. Who knows?"
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Lexden headteacher Alex Candler said the snake epitomises community spirit.
He said: "We're proud to house the snake within our grounds.
"It's a piece of history and epitomises our community spirit.
"It'll remain in place for a long time to come.
"Thanks to Rebecca and everyone that took time to add their rock to the snake."
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