Singers in the north-east want to encourage youngsters to create a colourful trail of doorstep art next month to celebrate staff on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus.
The Kinloss Military Wives Choir had been planning on launching a Remembrance Rocks campaign to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day on May 8.
Now, however, the group want to use the occasion to also celebrate key workers involved in the fight to keep the country fit and healthy
The idea has been inspired by the countless children across the north-east already painting and decorating stones with intricate designs before hiding them for others to discover.
Images of the stones have been spreading on social media.
Members of the choir are married to military personnel, with some singers themselves also medics and teachers. Others are also in essential roles.
Colourful rainbows attached to the inside of windows have already become a symbol of hope amidst the national lockdown.
And the singing group hopes the brightly painted rocks appearing on doorsteps will help to give more people a lift during worrying times.
Choir member Char Heskith said: “The painted rock phenomenon took-off last year with pictures of rocks shared across the world.
“Although children would be unable to search for painted rocks at the moment, unless they’re out on their exercise, we hope that they and adults will take up the torch and show we won’t be beaten by a virus.
“We would love to see this on VE weekend with a key worker’s rock visible on every doorstep.
“It would be a bright, colourful, cheerful and lasting visual support for each and every key worker who has kept the country afloat during these strange times – just a simple way of saying thank you.”
Rocks decorated with poppies and other remembrance designs were a feature across the region during events to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.
Victory in Europe Day, which has become known as VE Day, sparked huge celebrations across the UK and the rest of the continent in 1945 following the surrender of the Nazi’s during the Second World War.
This year’s 75th anniversary was declared a national bank holiday in anticipation of events to mark the end of the conflict.
The Kinloss Military Wives Choir had intended to be performing at events for the landmark and have been having regular online conversations about alternative arrangements.
Singers hope the brightly coloured rocks will mean the anniversary will not pass unnoticed, despite large gatherings being banned.
Choir member Lorna Alexander said: “It’s been very strange not performing and we were extremely sad to have had to pull out of a wedding vow renewal as well as several community visits and some local celebrations for the national VE75 weekend.
“With this in mind we have been looking at something we could do instead to show that VE Day has not been forgotten.
“There have been so many big-name pop-up choirs appear online so we decided to go for a less technical, non-singing solution to our marking of this occasion.”
The choir will launch a Facebook page dedicated to the key worker’s rocks campaign today.
Details will be published on the Kinloss Military Wives Choir account.