Visitors to a village hall could be forgiven for thinking a pair of hares had somehow found their way inside – but they are in fact incredibly detailed sculptures made entirely of sugar.

Members of the Sugarcraft Guild Sam Hamer and Gwen Sharp spent more than 250 hours making the realistic woodland scene on display in Chalk, near Gravesend.

The 4ft by 2ft display includes two life-sized hares, a log, mushrooms, leaves, thorn bush and soil, all of which have been created from sugar, including fondant and flower and modelling paste, and hand-painted.

Sam, who is a professional baker, said the whole structure weighs more than 15kg – and equates to around 6,000 calories.

Although the artwork could be, it will not be eaten and instead is being displayed at Chalk Parish Hall, in Pirrip Close, over the festive period.

It will then be thrown away as it is too big to store anywhere else.

The pair entered it into the collaborative lifesize category at the world’s largest sugarcraft, cake decorating and baking show, Cake International, and was awarded bronze.

Sam said: “It is nice to work outside the box. I am always creating wedding cakes and even though I hate making animals, it is nice to do something different with sugar.

“It was quite rewarding to see all those hours of work come together as you cannot see it working until it is all done.

“It is always interesting what you can do and make.”

The 51-year-old then joked the pair must have been “mad” to enter the prestigious competition in the first place as they spent months texting each other pictures of their creations asking if they looked realistic enough.

Gwen, 76, added: “Well, you have got to be a little bit mad to start playing around with sugar.”

If you want to get involved, the Gravesend Sugarcraft Guild meets every last Wednesday of the month, apart from in August and December, at 7.30pm at Chalk Parish Hall.

You can contact Sam for more details on 07796 448366.