A village church in Lymington, Hampshire has found a creative way to keep the community occupied during the lockdown and to also beautify their streets. 

What's now known as the 'crochet through corona' project actually started out as an 'Easter yarn bomb' project earlier in the year to prepare to decorate the streets of the village for Easter. 

Since January St Mark's Church in the village of Pennington has rallied people together from people in the village and the surrounding community to knit and crochet spring flowers, Easter eggs and crosses for the church hedge. 

The church was able to put out most of the decorations before the lockdown but is still getting residents to keep on crocheting so the community can be decorated even further when social distancing orders are no longer in place. 

The church hedge has been decorated with a sign made out of yarn that reads: "Pennington stands together even when we're apart."
Rev Rachel Noel from St Mark's told Premier Christian News she wanted to emphasize the theme of unity despite not being able to gather in person. 

"As community, the way we can care for each other, to show our love for each other is to be brave enough to let go. To let go of the parts our lives, the activities that we are used to doing, the places that we are used to going, the people we are used to seeing," she said. 

"Standing together, is the costly love of letting go, of staying apart from each other. And so, we've added two people to the hedge, to remind us all that social distancing doesn't mean emotional distancing. We can still wave to each other, we can still greet each other, but we need to stay apart for the good of the whole community."

Locals have made more than 1,500 crocheted and knitted items that have been made by the whole community. 

"There were collection bags in many of our pubs, pharmacy and shops, before they closed down, with some people making one or two items, and some making a lot more. 

The church the display symbolises the "strength of a community working together."

Rev Noel said: "Crocheting and knitting are great activities to help keep us occupied, calm and grounded during this season. So we're encouraging everyone to continue knitting and crocheting, with whatever ends of yarn they've got at home. We look forward to gathering items together, when it is safe again to do so, and covering our hedge with a riot of colour."