Battle Of Britain Anniversary To Be Commemorated By 'Stone Snake'

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Scampton Church in Lincolnshire is creating a 'snake' made of decorative stones.

Each stone is hand-painted by a member of the public and is added to a long trail, commemorating the fallen servicemen and women who served in the Battle of Britain.

Joe Bartrop, the project-cordinator at Scampton Church, said: "The idea is to create this stone snake so that it goes from here, right down to the gate of the church and runs in front of the 107 war graves that are here at Scampton Church."

Each stone holds its own significance to the Battle of Britain and Scampton’s involvement in the Second World War.

There are a range of designs, including the tail number of the Lancaster bomber that Wing Commander Guy Gibson flew during the daring Dambusters Raid in 1943 which was launched from Scampton.

A section of the 'snake' is dedicated to the different nationalities that fought in the battle.

There are also stones representing the Women’s Royal Air Force and the local pub.

"It’s a local connection between the community here at Scampton, the RAF and RAF Scampton and the Battle of Britain," said Mr Bartrop.

The painted stones have been coming in from as far as Kent and members of the church are hoping to fill the path in time for their commemorative service on 15 September.

Anyone can get involved by painting a stone and sending it to the church.