The Countess of Wessex showed off her artistic side when she joined a virtual arts session with a group of visually impaired youngsters.

Sophie painted a bird box as children supported by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and their families also decorated wooden homes for birds.

During the craft session, held on Thursday, the Countess said about her painting efforts: “I’ve just been doing (camouflage) down the side of it and on the front I’ve got leaves and a little bee as well.”

And she complemented one little girl wearing a tiara, telling her: “Look at you, you really are a princess.”

Sophie is a supporter of a number of organisations helping people with sight loss or impaired vision and is patron of Blind Veterans UK and a global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

The craft session, led by artist Emily McFarland, was aimed at encouraging children to get out into nature and listen for spring birds, and also marked the launch of the RNIB’s Shape and Share events for 2021.

The initiative, held online due to the pandemic, includes craft and storytelling, pizza making and sessions on online safety. It runs from February to April and is aimed at encouraging children and youngsters to make new friends, try new things, and engage in some much-needed fun.

Sophie praised the creative efforts of the families who took part in the craft session and said how much she enjoyed meeting them all.

At the end of the session, the Countess said: “Hopefully one day we’ll be able to get together and compare what birds have visited our bird boxes!”

And she thanked the RNIB for all the work the charity is doing to support people.

Michelle Bateson, from Derry in Northern Ireland, said her 10-year-old daughter, Elodie, really enjoyed the craft session.

She said: “Elodie loved decorating her bird house and listening to the bird song that was played during the session. We are going to put the bird house on the tree house in our garden and are excited to see what birds will visit.”