A north-east community has refused to let lockdown stop them celebrating Burns Night, and has instead adapted by putting together stunning window displays.
Residents in Westhill and Elrick have marked the occasion by creating eye-catching artworks celebrating the bard and all things Scottish and putting them up in their windows.
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The idea is for others in the area to be able to walk around and take in everyone else’s pieces while taking their daily exercise.
Christina Daniel, of Elrick, has been involved in organising the project and takes part with her son Elijah, 6.
They first started making windows displays by drawing rainbows last March when the pandemic took hold, but the idea proved so popular that the community in Westhill and Elrick have carried on, with different themes throughout the year.
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Christina said: “It started off with rainbows in the first lockdown, but we continued our group and did a lot of other themes. We had an Easter theme and a Christmas theme and several other themes.
“Last month we were doing a theme of hope. We were putting hearts in windows.
“Now we’re doing a Burns Night theme and a lot of people have been doing McCoos, from the Scottish artist Steven Brown, some people are doing Scotland flags, others are doing drawings with kilts, and my boy has made Nessie.”
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A Facebook group was set up for the displays, with residents sharing ideas and designs, and posting about which streets the various artworks can be spotted in.
Christina said: “It’s just to do something for Burns Night, and people are spotting them when they go out on their walks and it’s good to see on our Facebook page.
“It brings a smile to their faces.
“People follow the themes and share ideas. It’s about bringing some positivity during lockdown.
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“It keeps everyone busy.
“With the Easter theme I had an amazing response, and at Christmas we did a light trail and Westhill was quite a popular area.”
Christina said some families were putting their own twist on the Scottish theme to reflect their own nationality and combining elements from both countries in their designs.
Christina said: “Originally my mum and dad are from Pakistan, so we did a kind of fusion theme. We do haggis pakora, so we put our own twist on Burns Night.
“It’s not just limited to only Burns Night or only Scotland flags.
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“Since moving from Leeds I am loving living here and so is my son Elijah.
“Every day we fall in love more with Scotland, with its traditions and with its beautiful scenery.
“We celebrate Scottish events with Pakistani fusion. After all, you can’t beat a combination of pakoras and Irn Bru.
“People in Scotland are the most welcoming and sincere folks I have ever come across. Since I have made this group Window Art Westhill & Elrick we have participated in multiple themes and we have some incredible people who come up with great innovations as well.”
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“We have such an amazing platform through this group that we can share and celebrate events virtually, loving seeing all the crafts on windows of Burns Night.
“It’s always exciting to see people coming together as a community and participating, always nice to see such positivity on Facebook feeds especially during such gloomy times.”
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