Pupils at Orgill primary school have started a craze in their community as people rush to find decorated pebbles hidden in the surrounding area.

Staff at the school have been encouraging their children and families to get out and about and one staff member, Vicki Pater had the idea of #OrgillRocks.

The idea has proved very popular with children and adults alike.

Holly Collins, a teacher at the school, said: "Children and parents are now decorating their own pebbles and hiding them.

"There must be 200 plus Orgill Rocks out there! The feedback we are getting is all incredibly positive."

Holly said that children are wanting to search for rocks before and after school and are encouraging their parents to walk with them rather than drive.

She said: "Our families are out and about more whether it is hunting for rocks or finding new places to hide - Longlands Lake has been a popular hiding place. It is not just Orgill pupils taking part. It really is bringing the community together."

Decoration on the rocks has been varied. Holly said: "We’ve had dinosaur eyes, unicorns, Mary Poppins, sharks and many more. We have even had a High Grange rock, which they have posted and re-hidden and today a Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service rock."

Once found, a post is sent to the Orgill Rocks Facebook page and the pebble is then re-hidden in a new location for someone else to find.

Bryony McGaw, nine and Riley Robinson, six, highlighted the benefit of searching for the stones with their families. Bryony said: “Yesterday I went on a three mile walk with my family to hunt for Orgill Rocks.” Riley added: “I like it when my family go looking for Orgill Rocks.”

Izzy Pater, five, said how happy she feels when she sees her rocks go up on the Facebook page: “When I see my painted rocks on the Facebook page, it makes me happy.”

And Ruby Dixon, 10 and Molly Pater, nine, like how creative they can be. Ruby said: “You can use your imagination to think of ideas that nobody else has had” and Molly said: “You can be really creative and who knows where in the world your rock might end up.”

And for Ellie Redshaw, nine, it has given her a new hobby: “Painting rocks is my new hobby!”