A MYSTERY over an unusual stone tribute which appeared following the recent HMS Dasher commemorations has been solved.

Members of the Saltcoats, Ardrossan and Stevenston Royal British Legion were surprised to find decorated stones at the War Memorial in Saltcoats shortly after the weekend-long commemorations.

They wanted to thank whoever placed the hand-painted pebbles on the memorial and so put out an appeal on social media.

The mysterious stone-painter was eventually traced and revealed to be Suzanne NaylorJohnston, a veteran originally from West Yorkshire and now living in the Three Towns.

Suzanne suffers from depression and anxiety but has found that decorating stones and hiding them in the local area for people to find has helped her mental wellbeing.

She said: “I wanted to pay my respects to our fallen heroes and to our serving soldiers. “I make them [the stones] to distribute amongst the Three Towns, so children and their families can find. I think it gives the family a reason to be outside and have fun finding them. It also gives me a great sense of joy seeing photos of my stones, it makes me feel quite proud.”

Legion member, Suzanne Fernando, thanked Suzanne on behalf of the branch, adding: “A lot of thought, love and preparation must go into designing these stunning effects and we look forward to discovering many more on our travels around our community.”