More than 50 boxes full of snacks, gifts and essentials were delivered to isolated families in Maidstone with the help of Nintendo character Super Mario.

Organised by volunteers from the Maidstone Coronavirus Mutual Aid Group, the gifts, known as isolation boxes, were delivered to families in Downswood and Otham who were nominated by friends, neighbours and families.

The children's boxes contained surprises such as colouring books, seeds, chocolates, pens and pencils, and bubbles.

For the adults, they came with flowers, puzzle books, snacks, seeds and DVDs to name a few.

Vicky Parker, 32, is one of the coordinators who helped Super Mario with the deliveries.

She said: "Our volunteers delivered the boxes to 20 children and 30 adults who had been nominated. We wanted to give them a little something to show them that we're thinking of them and that we're here if they need us.

"I put out a post on the Downswood hub Facebook page asking if anyone wanted to nominate their neighbours and that's how we identified the people we would deliver to.

"It was a lovely atmosphere on the day and we ended up meeting lots of happy people."

The Maidstone Coronavirus Mutual Aid group has around 2,000 volunteers across the borough.

They work with local businesses and charities such as Poundland and Making a difference in Maidstone (MADM) who helped put the boxes together.

Miss Parker added: "Our volunteers came to pick up the adult bags and the Super Mario delivered the ones to the children.

"When they picked them up, they were given PPE and delivery instructions and off they went. They knocked on the doors, explained what the boxes were for, and the fact they'd been nominated, and dropped it off on the doorstep.

Vicky explains how the mutual aid group works

"All the contents of the boxes were in isolation for three days and then when they were touched, it was with PPE so there was no cross contamination.

"The boxes also had a list of useful contact for people who can help such as the community response team, MADM and the Samaritans."

Miss Parker says the deliveries were such a success, the group is now fundraising to do the same thing in Shepway and Tovil.

The group has also put together a video explaining some of the projects it is involved with.

Volunteers have been delivering free food to the NHS, sewing scrubs for frontline workers and dropping off essential items to vulnerable people.

For more information on how to get involved, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.