IT WAS a labour of love that kept her in stitches for 18 months.

Ann McKinley has presented a Hampshire school with a knitted tree comprising all the objects that feature in one of Britain’s best-known carols, the 12 Days of Christmas.

The crowning glory is a partridge in a pear tree.

Other parts of her creation are covered in two turtle doves, three French hens and all the increasingly grand gifts mentioned in the carol, first published in England in 1780.

Anyone inspecting the base of the 6ft tree will find ten lords-a-leaping, 11 pipers piping and 12 drummers drumming.

Ann, 78, of Woodlands Road, Woodlands, embarked on the project following the death of her husband John.

Determined to keep busy she found herself reaching for the wool almost every evening and knitted away using a pattern supplied by a friend in Yorkshire.

Ann said: “I live near Netley Marsh Infant School and when I mentioned the tree to one of the staff he said they’d love to have it.

“I think I got through at least 400 grams of wool but I had some already and didn’t have to buy very much.

“One of my friends, Sheila Hewitt, helped out by knitting the 12 drummers and all the figures were attached by Velcro to a wooden frame made by my brother, Bob Marshall.

“The children gave me a lovely ‘thank you’ afternoon and actually sang the 12 Days of Christmas.”

Jane Flood, the school’s head of learning, added: “Ann approached my predecessor, Matt Perrett, and showed him two of the figures she’d already made.“She came in the other day for a special assembly. The children were fascinated by the tree and asked her a lot of questions about how hard or easy the figures were to make and whether she had any favourites.

“A lot of them wanted to take parts of the tree home and asked if we were going to auction it off.

“One of our school learning values is endurance, which makes the tree all the more appropriate because Ann had to keep going even when it got a bit tough. The tree is a real focal point. It’s beautifully made, beautifully presented and just the right size and height for the pupils.

“It will be packed away on Thursday and will come out again next year.

“Ann is already planning to knit nativity figures and animals for next Christmas, so those will be on display as well.”