A giant painting created by dozens of people from the Dartford community has gone on display.

The artwork, which depicts the Saturday market in the High Street, was officially unveiled at Dartford Library on Saturday.

The project, which was organised by artist Stephen Oliver, saw around 60 residents come together and paint individual squares on the 69" by 110" canvas.

Those who took part had to either live or work in Dartford.

Mr Oliver said: “This is something I had wanted to do for a year or so.

“One day I saw the space above the book shelves in Dartford Library and thought it could go there.

“The library said yes and that it was a brilliant idea.”

Since the start of January, people have been picking up paintbrushes and adding their own mark to the piece.

“The youngest we had was five months and the oldest was late seventies,” said Mr Oliver.

“Most people hadn’t painted before and for those people and others who hadn’t painted for a long time, I was mixing the colour and advising them how to apply the paint.

“When people first came they were terrified seeing other people’s work finished and they were scared of ruining it, but by the time people had finished they wanted to do some more.”

Two Dartford schools were also involved in the project – Temple Hill and Oakfield Primary.

“One boy from Temple Hill who was about nine who said it was the best experience ever.

“It really inspired him to get involved in painting.

“For some people it has reignited their interest from when they were at school too.”

The painting was officially unveiled on Saturday in front of roughly 60 people.

Mr Oliver added: “The reaction we had from people who were seeing it for the first time was very positive.”

The painting will remain on display in Dartford Library and a plaque featuring the names of everyone who took part.

Prints and postcards of the painting have been printed and are available in local galleries.

Visit www.stephen-oliver.co.uk to find out more.