Blackpool pensioners do the Queen proud with this painstaking portrait for jubilee

And they sent the picture, created from more than a thousand tiny pieces of coloured glass-like diamante resin in a method called Diamond Art, to the Queen herself at Buckingham Palace.

The picture, which they also framed, was created by members of two social clubs which meet at the Claremont First Step Community Centre on Dickson Road, North Shore, with most of them in their seventies and eighties.

Tuesday Social Club and the Friday Luncheon Club members, along with project workers Josephine Baker and Johann Adams, met up every week to complete the work.

Cathy Adams, finance officer at the centre, said: “It has been a labour of love for all the members involved.

"It took quite a lot of concentration, because there were so many tiny pieces and they all needed to be glued into exactly the right place!

"But everyone had a lot of fun and it was great to involve them all in the jubilee.”

Although the Queen is likely to receive many jubilee-related items from the public, the Claremont group hope she will be take a look at their portrait of her.

The centre also runs a club for people with complex needs and learning difficulties on Wednesdays and new members are always welcome to join all three groups.

There will also be a jubilee celebration on Tuesday May 31 with lots of goodies and a special gift courtesy of a donation by Blackpool firm Glasdons.

For more information, ring on (01253) 299306 or 0795717216.