Coronavirus: Rainbow pictures springing up across the country

Pictures of rainbows have started springing up in windows after schools closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Hundreds of schools are encouraging pupils to put up paintings to "spread hope" after a trend started online.

Though many of the buildings have closed, one head teacher said the school spirit was still very much alive with online lessons.

Schools across the UK shut on Friday to children of non-key workers.

A spokesman for Grange First School in Newcastle said: "We are hoping to spread our cheerful windows campaign as wide as possible.

"Signs are going up in windows all over our area and beyond and will really help maintain morale for children (and families) in these difficult times."

Angela Ruthven, whose son Harrison made a rainbow, said it was "a truly wonderful idea while we are all facing such worries with our health, our jobs and children's education".

"This has offered a positive approach," she said.

"It's bringing families together at home to create a rainbow, making people smile if they are spotted in windows. It's bringing our wonderful school and even the world together.

"It's showing that we are all in this together."

Six-year-old Eva has "Always loved painting rainbows" according to her mother so leapt at the chance of joining her school's campaign.

Shona Richardson, head teacher of Eva's school in Rosewell in Midlothian, said: "We did not want it all to be doom and gloom for the children.

"We thought this would be a really visual way of bringing hope at a time when there is not much out there.

"It also sends a message to the elderly people to say we are thinking of you and hopefully it will give them some joy to.

"These children won't be able to see their friends so much so it's a way they can communicate together."

She said teachers were working from home and were in contact online with families.

"We do not want families to be forgotten about just because they can't come into school," Ms Richardson said.

"We were really devastated when we all said goodbye to one another.

"It's the unknown. Breaking up for the holidays you know when you will be back together, but in this case we really don't know."

Eight-year-old Tayen, who lives in Bridgwater, Somerset, also wanted to take part in the chase the rainbow trend.

Tayen, who has been blind since she was 22 months old and is currently undergoing chemotherapy, made a raised rainbow she could feel.

Her mother Kali said: "We used paper which is put through a machine so the surface is raised so she can feel it.

"She coloured it in with paint sticks and her brothers helped her choose the colours - although she tells everyone its entirely pink.

"She knows it's up in the window and that it's her picture and other people can enjoy it and she asked me to take a picture of it to send to family members we can't visit at the moment."

Isla, seven, and Archie, four, stuck an enormous rainbow across the window of their Bristol home.

Isla said: "We're making it because it might cheer people up."

Her mother Debbie Frost said: "We are stuck in isolation and it got the kids thinking about arts, crafts and also about others and the impact we can have on them, even though we may never see them or come into contact with them."

Jo Tambie, of Hall Green, Birmingham, said her four children were prompted to create the rainbows as an antidote to the "negativity".

"My daughter came up with the words 'be confident and be brave'.

"Those are words from an eight-year-old and I think it just makes you smile when you see it and quite emotional."