05 Aug Love on the Rocks UK
Vicki Stansfield from Westcliff started painting rocks as a way to switch off in the early hours when she was still awake at 2am. She was looking for something that was free, quiet and required no specific artistic skills. She started hiding the colourful rocks in local areas in the hope of bringing a smile to a few faces.
From Vicki’s early hours painting days, the rocks have become something of a trend in Southend, with groups painting and hiding rocks for all kinds of occasions – a local church painted 1000 baby Jesus rocks for Christmas and a group of teens ran a painting workshop at a care home for elderly people. During the pandemic, 3 year old Millie McHugh created a colourful snake made of rocks that twisted its way along Leigh-on-Sea station steps. There was a sign encouraging other families to paint their own rocks to add to the snake, bringing surprise and colour to what had probably become a mundane Groundhog Day walk for everyone during lockdown.
Vicki eventually started a Facebook group ‘Love on the Rocks UK’ which now has a whopping 105,000 members all over the country! Each week there is a new theme and people post photos of their sometimes intricately painted rocks (there are some really amazing artists in the group as well as total novice painters). Vicki said “The response is a mega act of kindness movement all over that brings smiles, comfort, joy and therapy to thousands. It’s all a bit lovely, they are fun to do, fun to hide and lovely to find. Bonus cherry on top moment is if the Finder posts in the group – you know you made a stranger smile!”
You don’t need to have a particular skill to start a similar hobby or take part in an act of community kindness. How can you put a smile on a stranger’s face this week?
Join Love on the Rocks UK here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1261041450616946
