A COUPLE are cheering up neighbours during lockdown by dressing skeletons in quirky outfits in their garden.

Vicky and Nige Cooper are lifting spirits throughout the coronavirus pandemic by displaying their bony friends in different unusual clobber each week.

So far the skeletons have been dressed up to mark VE Day, as hula dancers and as 'nuns on the run', among many other costumes.

The spectacle has attracted hundreds of people from across South Cumbria to the Coopers' garden in Hallfield Street, Ulverston.

Mr Cooper, who works at the shipyard, said his wife thought of the idea as a way to cheer up the community back in March.

“We do a lot of VW (campervan) festivals all over the North West and bring skeletons along to them for a bit of quirkiness," he said.

“Obviously they’re not on this year so we thought we’d make use of them.

“When the coronavirus restrictions came in, Vicky, who’s quite a kind person, said 'why don’t I dress them up in the garden to cheer people up?'

“And I said 'why don’t you do a theme each week?'”

However, the pair never anticipated the garden spectacle would attract quite so much attention.

“Families come with their kids just about every day taking pictures and coming up the street to see if they’ve changed outfits yet,” said Mr Cooper.

“It seems to cheer people up.

“If I’m out doing some work on my VW van, passers by always say how brilliant they are.

“It just lifts everyone’s spirits.

"We thought we’d do it for a week but it just exploded.

“It’s an exciting new thing for kids.

“I could stay out all morning watching people’s reactions.

“They do even give me a fright sometimes - they’re quite creepy.”

After more than three months, Mr Cooper said his wife is displaying her last skeleton on July 4.

“She was actually thinking of finishing it last week.

"But then this young kid, who had came up especially to see them, nearly cried when they saw the skeletons weren’t out anymore.

“People are begging her to keep them out longer.

“The support has been through the roof so I think she may put them up for a bit longer. It’s something really small which lifts the whole community spirits up so it’s worth it.”