A glassmaker has made it her mission to spread happiness and joy during these dreary lockdown times.

The artist has created small hearts and placed them around Rochester and Chatham for people to find when out and about.

The glassmith wishes to remain anonymous to continue the "special unknowing feel" around the project.

She said: "When this all started I decided to make 150 glass hearts to be given to the nurses and doctors working on the Covid wards at Medway Maritime Hospital.

"I did it all anonymously and had a friend who worked there deliver them to all of the five main Covid wards. I just wanted to make the frontline staff smile, have something nice to keep and look at.

"After the delivery I had a few left and decided to hang them around Shorne Country Park when I walked my dog.

"It was so muddy because of the wet weather so I decided to walk twice around a shorter route.

"I hid them on my first walk and by my second round they had all gone.

"I walked past some girls and they were all excitedly saying about how they'd found this beautiful heart and it made me so happy to see their response to it."

The heart maker, who is in her 50s, creates the ornaments in her home studio, making a tray of 56 hearts a day using a kiln.

She added: "I have made just under 1,000 hearts so far, so I've hidden over 600.

"We never announce where the hearts have been hidden because that would cause people to flock to that area which is not ideal in a pandemic.

"We only want people to find the hearts while they're going on about their usual essential business of walking the dog, exercising and shopping.

"You've got the best chance of finding one when looking in this way because the hiders are doing just the same as you.

"No special hiding trips, just a pocket full of hearts to hide wherever they would normally go."

Two weeks ago, when hanging a heart in a tree outside of Rochester Cathedral, the artist slipped in the icy conditions and broke her left wrist.

She said: "Because of my injury my husband drives while we are out on essential trips and helps me hide them.

"Through my anonymous Facebook page, people have also asked to help us hide the hearts so when we're out shopping or walking the dog we drop them through their letter boxes so they still won't know who we are.

"After that, while doing their exercise or essential trips shopping, they leave them all around their neighbourhood."

Rebecca Osborne, a 25-year-old from Rochester Street, Chatham, discovered one of the hearts while she was on a walk with her boyfriend, Ryan Felton, 26.

She said: "We were taking a walk and the weather just got terrible.

"We were passing the Whit Tileston Bandstand and heard a clanging, it caught my attention and we saw something swinging in the wind. It was one of the hearts, finding it and seeing the art really made me smile, it was so nice to see."

The glassmaker said: "I want to keep my identity a secret because I want to keep the whole experience special.

"I noticed that parts of Rochester and Medway were really struggling with this lockdown, and I just wanted to share some happiness.

"I'm anonymous so I can help lift the spirits of other people and do a good deed without having the glory, I'm not doing this for popularity.

"I've even had people message the Facebook page and ask to buy the hearts but I won't sell them, I send them to people for free, I don't want money, I just want to spread happiness.

"I'm really enjoying seeing everyone's posts on Facebook, seeing where they found them and how happy they were when they did, it is wonderful."

As the hearts are made from glass they are able to be cleaned with anti-bacterial gel and wipes without causing damage.

For information about the Secret Hearts in Medway follow the artists Facebook page here.

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