A group of keen knitters and sewers have created more than 2,500 Christmas stockings to brighten up the streets of Chadwell Heath.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Some of the stockings with the tags on explaining they are a free gift from St Chad's Church.Some of the stockings with the tags on explaining they are a free gift from St Chad's Church. (Image: Julie Court)

The congregation of St Chad's Church, in Eric Road, have been hard at work with their needles and thread all year in a bid to make the festive decorations.

And now the colourful creations have been hung up along the High Road and in some of the surrounding streets, with people living in the area encouraged to take one to hang on their own Christmas tree.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Stockings are put along a bus stop in Chadwell Heath.Stockings are put along a bus stop in Chadwell Heath. (Image: Julie Court)

This is the third year running that the church has aimed to spread some Christmas cheer in the community, with the number of decorations created increasing each time.

In 2018, they made around 700 angels, and last year more than 1,200 stars were hung from trees, lampposts and other locations along the street.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Christmas stockings on a tree.Christmas stockings on a tree. (Image: Julie Court)

Julie Court, whose husband Martin is the vicar at St Chad's, said this year's target of 2,000 stockings has been comfortably surpassed.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Stockings left on a wall.Stockings left on a wall. (Image: Julie Court)

She explained: "We start every year in January and there are around 20 or so people in our congregation, one of which has done 700!

"But we are also now getting people knitting all over, we have a couple of people in Devon who send them to us.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Stockings are hung up along the High Road.Stockings are hung up along the High Road. (Image: Julie Court)

"Our aim is always to beat our total the previous year. However, due to lockdown we were hoping to get 2,000 but we have gone way over that which is amazing – it means that we will be able to do some of the smaller roads behind the High Road."

Each of the 2,694 stockings - put up on the evening of Thursday, December 17 - have tags on them explaining that they are free for people to take, and that they are a gift from the church.

Barking and Dagenham Post: A display as part of the walk around nativity.A display as part of the walk around nativity. (Image: Julie Court)

They aren't the only way that St Chad's has attempted to bring some festive cheer to Chadwell Heath over the Christmas period, either - members of the congregation have been involved in creating a walk around nativity.

Each of the eight houses involved depicts a different scene which, if followed in order, tells the story of the birth of Jesus through displays in windows and front gardens.

Barking and Dagenham Post: A window display as part of the walk around nativity.A window display as part of the walk around nativity. (Image: Julie Court)