Coronavirus: Rainbow trail success surprises Ipswich mum

Crystal Stanley said rainbows were a sign of "positivity, hope and togetherness"

A mum credited with popularising the trend of creating rainbows during lockdown has said she is "amazed" it has become a global phenomenon.

Crystal Stanley, of Ipswich, said she set up the Rainbow Trail Facebook page after seeing "something similar" on social media from Italy.

More than 182,000 members from around the world have since joined her group.

Miss Stanley, 31, said the rainbows were a sign of "positivity, hope and togetherness" during the crisis.

Vicky Wells said her children Bella, five, and Alana, two, wanted to say a "big thank you to the NHS for helping people with the virus"

Samantha Kirk, from Chesterfield, shared a photo of a rainbow painted on a patio slab, created by her children Leland, 12, and Bettsie, five

The mother-of-one said she painted her first rainbow on an old piece of wallpaper.

She said she "thought it would be a bit of fun" to encourage others to create them for their windows.

About 4,000 joined the Facebook group within two days and it had "just got bigger and bigger" since, she said.

The Oluban family from Birmingham shared their photo on the Rainbow Trail's Instagram page

Miss Stanley said the group had members from across the country and around the world, including Thailand, the United States and Australia.

"It's literally been unbelievable how far it's gone," she said.

Kelly Shepherd posted a photo of a "rainbow flower" that her daughter Audrina, six, made for her grandmother

The creativity shown by people was "fantastic", she said, adding that she had been sent images of rainbows made from pine cones and toys.

She said she got thousands of posts on the Facebook page a day and the Rainbow Trail had set up a fundraising page to help East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH).

Christina Tait, of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, used colourful hearts in her display

Miss Stanley, who has a daughter Ariana Batchelor, three, said: "Seeing the rainbows makes me think of the children or adults who have created them and what they are all going through during these hard times.

"And they have created these to show support for all the key workers and to make them smile when they see them."

On Sunday, the Queen said the rainbows would be the symbol of the UK's "national spirit" in the face of the pandemic.

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