Lockdown Monsters Infest Buckinghamshire Woods

The Covid-19 lockdown has been tough on kids. They can't go to school. They can't do many of the activities they'd normally do. No clubs or gyms or sports. They can't even go and see their friends. After hearing friends with young kids saying how this upset them, I decided to do something. So I hunted through my bins, garage, garden and shed and found a pile of junk which I then turned into monsters. Then, one dark evening, I took them out to some local public space fields and hid them in a short woodland trail.

It took a few days for them to be discovered but, once they were, local Facebook groups were buzzing. As I was still anonymous at this point, I used the opportunity to suggest that maybe people - especially kids - could make their own monsters to add to the trail. Within a fortnight, there were loads of them! And then the local newspaper reported on it and the numbers increased again.

Most importantly, social media was full of messages from parents saying how much fun it was, how their kids had engaged with it and - most importantly - how it had made people happy. 'Normally it's a titanic struggle to get my son off his computer,' said one Mum. 'But now he's literally dragging us out the door to see if there are any new monsters.' Another said, 'Such a lovely thing to do for a community. I applaud whoever did this. You have given families something to enjoy in a Covid-free environment.'

For me, the joy has been seeing the kids' creations and the effort and joy they've put into making them. That's all the reward I want.

More info: bucksfreepress.co.uk