IT took 250 pairs of hands, about 300 hours, and thousands of ceramic pieces.

And youngsters at Abingdon Preparatory School in Frilford yesterday put the final pieces into their mosaic, pictured, celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

All the boys at the school were involved, with their ideas being used by the school’s head of art Michelle Kitto to create the final design for the mosaic. They all helped to cut and stick the tiles.

Mrs Kitto said: “The boys are really proud of what they have created, it has been a lot of hard work but is truly memorable.”