A MOTHER and her young son from York have been lifting spirits during lockdown - by dressing up to put the bins out every week.

Naomi Chappelow and her son, River, who is aged just one, have been taking the bins out to be emptied in a variety of extravagant guises

The pair, who live in the Rawcliffe area on York, say they are trying to cheer up their neighbours during the difficult times - but their exploits have also made them social media stars.

Naomi, 28, said: “It started out as a joke between me and my friends.

"I was dressed up for a virtual party with my friends - but realised I needed to put the bins out.”

From then on, Naomi and River have dressed up is costumes to imitate characters from Aladdin, a mermaid and a bumble bee.

The mum and son have also appeared as Australians and adopted a birthday theme on Naomi’s birthday.

Naomi said: “We have had a lot of interest on social media sites like Facebook, we just want to cheer people up and lift spirits if we can.”

Naomi’s cousin, who lives in Australia, has been sharing pictures of the pair on one of their neighbourhood’s Facebook pages, spreading their message internationally.

One of the pictures of Naomi and River in costume posted on Facebook has more than 22,000 likes.

The costumes are also part of a small project that Naomi is carrying out, in which she has been trying to do something “creative” everyday.

Naomi said: “I have been drawing mostly, I draw portraits of my friends and TV characters and things like that. However, the costumes have also become a part of this little project now.”