Fairies have invaded a Highland town, much to the delight of scores of youngsters.
More than 70 fairy doors have appeared in Nairn as part of a new hunt to keep children and their families entertained on their lockdown walks.
The idea came from secondary school teacher Flo Skinner, who wanted to create a community project to give local kids something fun to do while there were no clubs or groups being held.
From initially buying five fairy doors, the hunt has taken off with more than 70 doors now scattered around the town.
These are all mostly brightly coloured, with each door unique in its own way.
Five fairy doors to more than 70
A Facebook page has been created, along with an interactive map so that people can share their own creations, as well as hunting for them.
Mrs Skinner revealed that the response to her idea had been “overwhelming.”
She said: “I bought five fairy doors with the thought of hiding them in friends and family’s gardens.
“Over lockdown in January I wondered if anyone would be interested in joining in so I wrote a post on a local Facebook page to gauge people’s thoughts.
“The feedback was really positive, so that night I ordered 50 more doors and created a logo and Facebook page.
“Once the doors had all been varnished, I delivered them to people all over Nairn.
“I then decided to buy small ceramic doors and mushroom houses and hide them in public spaces to add to the hunt.”
Mystical and magic
Mrs Skinner has two young boys, Brodie, seven, and Louis, 4, who are both big Harry Potter fans and love magic and mystical creatures, like fairies.
The trail does not have a start or an end, which means locals can explore their local streets or walking areas at their own pace.
An interactive map has been published on Facebook under Nairn Fairy Door Hunt.
Mrs Skinner, who is a technology teacher at Culloden Academy, hopes they can get more than 100 doors ready to be found.
She added: “I thought it was a nice idea but I didn’t expect this much of a response.
“The worst part of it was spending a week varnishing the doors three times to make sure they last outside.
“The best part was seeing the amazing pieces of art people made from these simple 15cm (5.9ins) plain wooden doors.
“It blew me away to see how much time and effort people put into them.
“Lots of people have bought and made their own doors, it’s not just been ones that I’ve given out.
“Also there are lots of shop owners that have taken part and put a door in their window displays.”
