Farncombe fairies have their own Facebook page!

Eagle-eyed fairy fans in Farncombe have been spotting the creatures hidden in nooks and crannies around the village, thanks to a new Fairy Godmother.

Liz Bryder, who normally uses her knitting skills to make baby clothes for the Royal Surrey County Hospital's Special Care Baby Unit, has turned her hand to creating the tiny creatures after the hospital said it could no longer take donations for the time being, due to concerns around Coronavirus.

And she has taken to hiding them in spots around Farncombe while out on her daily walks.

"I was hiding them while out on my daily walks during lockdown," she says. "Now I go out late in the day to hide them."

Most of them have been found so far, although one lonely fairy sat for a while in a bamboo plant at the Canon Bowring Playing Field. "She was in plain view," says Liz. "She did finally disappear: she was found by a little girl."

And the adults are conspiring to keep the magic going as well: "Sometimes if an older person finds them they say that they have given them a home overnight, and then they put them somewhere else the next day," Liz says.

Delighted children (and adults) who have come across one of her creations have been posting pictures of their fairies in their new homes on her Find Farncombe Fairies Facebook page as a result.

"I started it as a way to raise money for the St Marks Foodbank. I posted on the page that the Wicked Witch had held some of the fairies back: if they paid a small ransom, which will go to the foodbank, they would free the fairy," Liz explained.

One finder wrote on Facebook: "I found one! My niece is soo excited to meet her this weekend and take her home safe from the wicked witch!"

And another added: "This beautiful fairy spent last night in Silo Road but has continued on her journey... last seen sprinkling fairy dust in Furze Lane..."

Liz has also posted pictures of fairies hiding in obscure places, and added a note to the Facebook page challenging people to find them.

Liz started knitting the fairies at the beginning of lockdown, and as she tends to turn out a dozen at a time, has created around 60 to 70 as a result, she estimates.

"I can't say it was my idea: my niece, who lives in Tongham, saw that someone was doing this, and she said 'Auntie Liz, you love knitting, why don't you do it?' So I am!

"I did find a knitting pattern for a fairy, but it was too complicated, so I decided to make up my own."

Liz is a caterer whose business, Orchard Catering, was put on hold due to the lockdown, but she put her catering skills to good use as well, delivering 98 afternoon teas to households in the area: the profits from the sale of the teas were used to buy food items to donate to the St Marks Foodbank.

She took up the knitting because, she says, she was bored in lockdown. But her new hobby has managed to bring a little bit of magic to children and adults in Farncombe.

"It's just a bit of fun. I love to see kiddies happy!" she said.