HUNDREDS of ‘creatures’ were hidden around Horsforth as part of the town’s annual Walk of Art.

Excited children were invited to find and keep the vast array of animals made in craft sessions in the run up to the weekend festival.

More than 700 specimens, including butterflies, ladybirds, spiders, flower fairies, birds - and even a slug - were created to fit in with the Down at the Bottom of the Garden theme.

A spokeswoman said: “The ‘Creature Feature’ has been a mainstay of the Walk of Art since its inception in 2015, and it is something that the children really look forward to and engage with. In previous years we have made knitted rabbits and hedgehogs. Though, in truth, we have struggled to make enough to meet demand, typically making 200 to 275 creatures each year – every child who finds a creature gets to take one home with them.”

This year a range of methods and materials were used to create the animals - with creations including hedgehogs made out of books.

The Walk of Art was founded by Lara Rule, a teacher at Featherbank Primary School, with the aim of bringing the community together to experience all things creative and arty and to provide activities and workshops for all ages.

She said: “I want to thank everyone who got involved. This was an amazing weekend and we even managed to compete with England’s World Cup match.

“There were many people involved in the planning and setting-up of the WOA and I’d like to thank all of them. I’d also like to thank the community of Horsforth for getting behind us and supporting the event. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

“It’s lovely to see all different ages coming together to take part in activities they wouldn’t normally do and I hope we’ve inspired people to get involved in something creative in the future.”

Numerous groups took part in the event, and elderly residents at Bedford Court were among those making the hedgehogs.

A spokeswoman for the event said: “It was a mammoth effort but absolutely worth it to see the sheer delight on the kids’ faces over the weekend.”

In the run-up to the Walk of Art ten schools and nurseries were visited by 14 different artists who gave their time free of charge to create masterpieces with the children which were then displayed in 33 high street businesses and shops.

Lots of schools and groups, such as Brownies and Rainbows, got involved in decorating giant caterpillars. The event attracted hundreds of visitors.