Young patients waiting to see the doctor at Sheringham Medical Practice have a menagerie of cuddly wild animals to keep them company, thanks to the efforts of a team of local artists.

Five members of the town's Open Door Art Project have painted a mural in the centre's waiting room, creating

a child-friendly area for youngsters and their families.

The artwork was the idea of Patient Participation Group chairman Noel Gant, who is a keen amateur artist.

'I thought it would be nice to have something to take children's minds off being ill while they are waiting to see the doctor,' Mr Gant said.

He approached Open Door Art Project members Becky Robinson and Colin Seal, and, with the help of fellow artists Paul Watson and David Culley, the pair came up with a mural design featuring a snake with a sore neck, a pink elephant with an injured foot, and a bear, a giraffe and a lion.

Ms Robinson, who is a teacher at Sheringham Primary School, asked her pupils to create health-themed posters, a number of which have been mounted on board and displayed on the front of the counter in the surgery's reception area.

Mr Gant thanked Open Door members, whose previous projects have included displays for the town's Christmas lights and carnival, and for Cromer and Sheringham Crab and Lobster Festival.

'I am really pleased with the results and, when you look at what Open Door has done around Sheringham, then this is another feather in their cap,' he said.