A special orangutan has been brightening the lives of the "forgotten heroes of the pandemic" in Cheddar - children.

The mysterious beast has been popping up around the village doing his daily exercise and bringing cheer to families stuck at home during the lockdown.

Of course, his trips out for shopping and exercising have been completely compliant with social distancing, so if you see him monkeying around, please do wave back.

Bringing the creature to life is a small team of mums who have been taking it in turns to make appearances in Cheddar dressed as the orangutan.

They have asked to remain anonymous to keep up the mystique of the majestic creature.

Speaking to Cheddar Nub News, one of team said: "The outfit belongs to me and it was my idea to do this after I saw a person dressed as a dinosaur running down a street in Spain.

"It made me laugh and I have been feeling very sorry for the children in lockdown here in the UK and across the world.

"I wanted to brighten their day a little and thought that if I could arrange a spot the orangutan competition until the lockdown review, that it would help boost the children's spirits.

"I have felt strongly that children are the forgotten heroes of this pandemic. They are making the sacrifice of missing their education, friends, extra curricular activities, grandparents and wider family members, and they deserve to have these sacrifices recognised.

"It must be incredibly difficult being cooped up indoors each day. I know that my children are missing their friends and wider family greatly - technology is a poor substitute for real life interaction."

The intention is for the orangutan to continue to make an appearance daily in Cheddar, and to ensure that, as a team, this is done safely and legally.

Therefore, they ask that the two-metre distance is adhered to while the orangutan is out doing his "essential" shopping and exercise.

The team spokesperson said: "St Andrew's Church have been fully supporting our endeavours by raising awareness of our movements in Cheddar and encouraging us to cheer up our local community this way.

"We couldn't have done this without them. A bit of fun is desperately needed in these difficult times, and although the orangutan has been cheering up many adults, he wants to be seen by the children of Cheddar so that he can give them a wave."

For everything you need to know about Cheddar and coronavirus click here.