Parents created a window in their fence using and old glass table to let their children see their friends next door safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Cambs Times: Bethany and Sophie Henry-Elliott aged 9 and 5 with Lily and Emily Furnell aged 7 and 4 thanks to a window installed in their garden fence. Picture: Terry HarrisBethany and Sophie Henry-Elliott aged 9 and 5 with Lily and Emily Furnell aged 7 and 4 thanks to a window installed in their garden fence. Picture: Terry Harris (Image: terry-harris BAV Media)

Parents created a window in their fence using and old glass table to let their children see their friends next door safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Darren and Michelle Henry made sure their daughter could still play with her friends at their home in Dock Road, Chatteris despite the guidelines in place during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Sophie, 5, and Bethany Henry-Elliott, 9, can now communicate with her friends Lily and Emily Funrell, aged 7 and 4, thanks to their parents’ handy work.

Mr Henry managed to up-cycle an old glass table top into a viewing window for their children to interact with the neighbours safely and hygienically.

Cambs Times: Bethany and Sophie Henry-Elliott aged 9 and 5 with Lily and Emily Furnell aged 7 and 4 thanks to a window installed in their garden fence. Picture: Terry HarrisBethany and Sophie Henry-Elliott aged 9 and 5 with Lily and Emily Furnell aged 7 and 4 thanks to a window installed in their garden fence. Picture: Terry Harris (Image: terry-harris BAV Media)

Mrs Henry said: The children obviously know about good hygiene and the importance of personal space and how to social distance from school.

“But at their age they were struggling with being outside and being apart and kept trying to talk through gaps in the fence which was too close in these worrying times.

“They were worried as did we. They were trying to throw pictures and toys over the fence to show each other and this worried us too.”

Mrs Henry explained how she and her husband constructed the window for their children and their friends who are all pupils at Kingsfield Primary School.

Cambs Times: Bethany and Sophie Henry-Elliott aged 9 and 5 with Lily and Emily Furnell aged 7 and 4 thanks to a window installed in their garden fence. Picture: Terry HarrisBethany and Sophie Henry-Elliott aged 9 and 5 with Lily and Emily Furnell aged 7 and 4 thanks to a window installed in their garden fence. Picture: Terry Harris (Image: terry-harris BAV Media)

She said: “Luckily, we had an old strengthened glass table top behind our shed and everything else we needed so we cut a hole in the fence placed the glass in and reinforced both sides with wood so the glass is firmly secured in place.

“They sit there every day; having lunch and showing each other stuff on their tablets and can hear what each other says over the fence so it’s ideal.

“We also have glass pens for the to draw pictures on there for each other.

“It is hard enough for adults to understand and comprehend what is going on let alone the restrictions due to Coronavirus.

Cambs Times: Bethany and Sophie Henry-Elliott aged 9 and 5 with Lily and Emily Furnell aged 7 and 4 thanks to a window installed in their garden fence. Picture: Terry HarrisBethany and Sophie Henry-Elliott aged 9 and 5 with Lily and Emily Furnell aged 7 and 4 thanks to a window installed in their garden fence. Picture: Terry Harris (Image: terry-harris BAV Media)

“So for children of this age all the above plus no routine of school or seeing friends can really affect them and we wanted to make these hard times the best we could for them and bringing as much normality and brightness to their crazy world at the moment.”