LEIGH’S Craft Club Group have been busy yarnbombing south Essex to brighten up our streets.

The hobby consists of knitting various objects or scenes and placing them in different locations to add dashes of colour to various locations.

It’s a hobby which is extremely popular in south Essex as well as throughout the country.

Ice cream cones have been spotted on the post box outside Leigh rail station with a big tropical toucan resting outside Chalkwell Station.

A “lady on a tropical island” has also been spotted in the area.

Rebecca Burton, 35, from Benfleet, was responsible for the ice cream cones, and explained her reasoning behind the design.

She said: “It took a couple of weeks to make but the ice cream cones bring a bit of summer to everyone, regardless of the weather.”

Rebecca’s daughter Matilda, eight, is a big fan of her mother’s work.

She said: “They look good enough to eat and I think what my mum does is fun.”

Rebecca is a member of the Craft Club Yarnbombers Group that was formed in 2013 and has gained a lot of recognition since.

The group also features Gabby Atkins, 39, from Thundersley and Helen Thomas, 42, from Rayleigh.

There work has featured on the front page of the Times newspaper, they have more than 4,000 people following their work on social media and they also hold a Guinness World Record.

The group run workshops from the Leigh Fishermen’s Chapel and have now set up their own GoFundMe page.

They are seeking support to fulfil their dream of opening a craft cafe and convincing more people to get involved with the group.

Rebecca said: “It’s our dream to open a proper craft cafe where people can craft, get great food and maybe evening cocktails - that would be great.

“We are so lucky that lots of people are behind the plan and have set up the page to help, but we hope some local businesses might get involved and sponsor the Craft Club too.”

To visit their GoFundMe page, visit gofundme.com/project-craft-club-hq

Sadly, the owner of a yarn and knitting shop in Benfleet was recently left disappointed after discovering one of her prized knitted yarn dogs has been stolen.