Villagers in Test Valley have been spreading the love this half-term by organising a lovely surprise for those out for their daily walk.

Residents of the Wallops, Grateley and Quarley have been creating hearts in a variety of ways, which will be available to find around the villages and take home.

Over 300 have been made, and are waiting to be found and help spread the love during the pandemic.

Rev Vanessa Cole, who organised the ‘love-in’, said: “The latest lockdown has been particularly hard on people, especially those living alone, and we wanted to brighten everyone’s day this Valentines by sharing a little love with our neighbours.”

The hearts have been made by a group of villagers from Over Wallop, Nether Wallop, Grateley and Quarley in secret as a surprise for other residents living nearby.

Over 300 have been knitted, crocheted, sewn, painted and inked in total, and some have been secreted across the village for Valentine’s Day. The rest will be deposited over the coming week as half-term gets into swing.

The aim is that the hearts, alongside a letter from local churches, will be found while villagers are out on their daily walks, with a tag inviting them to take the hearts home.

The hearts have been produced in a Covid-safe way, with precautions being taken to prevent any possible contamination. They were placed into quarantine before and after being packaged by the vicar and her husband, and they wore face coverings while doing so.

Villagers praised Vanessa’s idea online, saying the hearts were a “wonderful idea”, with some residents having given them to neighbours and relatives who are unable to leave the house at the moment.

The hearts are distributed across the villages, and available to find right now.