A SCULPTOR has been impressing passers by with his carved creations in a local woods.

Geoffrey Shackleton, 53, of Idle, has been using his skill with chisel and rock to sculpt a variety of projects in Calverley Woods for people to find while walking.

He said: "With Calverley once having an old quarry area there were a number of unusual rock formations which were ideal for sculpting as the majority of stone in this area is a soft grip still and quite easy to work."

By day, Mr Shackleton works in waste management, but in his spare time he loves to create masterpieces from stone, as he has done for the last 15 years.

He said: "What I like about it is a fact you can make something almost unrecognisable from the original rock you started with.

"I also like the feel and the texture of the materials I use and the joy that it brings to others."

Mr Shackleton originally posted on a community Facebook page telling people to search for his hidden treasures which includes a snail, two fairy houses and a rabbit.

Members of the group often post about their struggles and success of trying to find the sculptures and Mr Shackleton says the responses encourage him to make more.

Some have spent several hours looking for the well-hidden carvings when out on walks, with parents and children heading out specifically to hunt for the sculptures.

He said: "I've had a fantastic response from all age groups - the adults seemed to enjoy the big ones and the children love to find the small and curved ones which they often take home.

"I thought it would be a great idea for young people and adults to try and find my sculptures in their local woodland area.

"I'd like to think it encourages people to explore the beautiful local woodlands and even have a small sculpture prize at the end of it to take home or enjoy the largest sculptures and carvings I have already done."

The largest creation is Mr Shackleton's dragon head sculpture, which began life at the end of March this year, with work on the sculpture still ongoing.

He said: "I generally spend two hours on a Saturday carving the dragon and placing the smaller carvings for people to find."

The initiative has taken on a similar feel to the rock craze that came to Bradford a few months ago, where people young and old would decorate small stones and head out to hide them and find other peoples' creations.

But, Mr Shackleton said he started this sculpting a while back now and is hoping to continue for the foreseeable future.

He said: "Hopefully this week I'll make a couple of small sculptures to hide depending on the weather and the amount of spare time I have."