A COMMUNITY art project is helping to brighten up Clackmannan after going on display last week.

A hard-working group of knitters have come together to create 12 colourful sheep to bring a bit of joy and fun while the coronavirus lockdown endures.

The volunteer have dedicated 10 months to hand-knit one dozen sheep: Baaarry, Baaabara, Bruce, Josie, Jeweilet, Ewen McGregor, Betty, Francie and their four adorable lambs.

The project followed in the footsteps of Clackmannan's Caring and Connected Caterpillar – a series of hand painted stones, numbering in the hundreds, created by residents young and old.

Lesley Shaw, community development manager at Clackmannan Development Trust, helped spearhead the initiative and was thrilled when the sheep went on display at various locations across Clackmannan, Kennet and Forestmill last Friday, April 9.

She said: "The aim of project was to create something fun that our retired volunteers could work on together – while being apart, over the course of the autumn and winter as a way of beating the lockdown blues that would bring some joy to our community this spring - much as the caterpillar did last summer.

"I am incredibly proud and grateful for all the hard work and dedication that our volunteers have put into this project – it is awe inspiring."

More than 6,000 hours of work went into creating the sheep as the project began in July 2020.

Volunteers have been knitting, sewing, drawing and even sawing since then to create the squares and pompoms that make up the woolly animals.

Lesley added: "We really hope that the sheep will bring some smiles to our community after what has been a difficult year in lockdown and give people a reason to keep walking and cycling in their local area to visit them."

Indeed, the project was well received with positive feedback from many residents on the trust's social media pages.

One resident said: "Love the sheep; saw the ones at Devonway...made me smile when I came home today."

The sheep are set to stay on display until the end of May.