Covid the Cobra

An extraordinary Stevenage story...

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The first stone of Covid the Cobra - a head!

Share your Cobra story!

Send us a picture of your stone and the story behind it, and we'll add it to our Cobra website!

During the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic, in May 2020, something extraordinary happened in Stevenage...

The Parnell family - Dawn, Eddie & Owen - decided to paint some stones and lay them outside their home on Grace Way, inviting others to do the same...

Over the next few weeks, 'Covid the Cobra' - as he came to be known - grew...and grew...and GREW!!!

By July 2020, Cobra had grown to 10,085 stones, each one hand-painted by a different member of our community.

Covid the Cobra brought the whole Stevenage community together at a time when we had to stay apart. It was very moving to see so many people coming out to Grace Way each day to admire the stones and add their own to the tale/tail!

There were stones celebrating the NHS and other frontline workers...stones for our schools, stones for our families...stones saying Love Is Love, stones saying Black Lives Matter...stones for a friend, stones for someone we'd lost...

Our stones sat side-by-side even if we couldn't, and Covid the Cobra became the most extraordinary feat and symbol of love, community and togetherness during a very challenging time.

A stone from Covid the Cobra featuring a rainbow and the words 'Stevenage 2020'

Cobra Continues...

The stones were collected up in July 2020 and Cobra went to sleep for a while (in a local garage!)

But the tale wasn't over...

Everyone who was part of Cobra wanted him to see him return in some form, to honour this amazing creation by our whole Stevenage community.

Alongside the Parnell family and the Community Development Team at Stevenage Borough Council, Junction 7 Creatives came on board to help devise ways the stones could once again take their place in our town - this time in a more lasting form.

This has been no small challenge, since there are SO many stones to work with, and like any outdoor / public art project there are many factors to consider in terms of location, durability, aesthetics, cost etc.

We explored lots of potential approaches...from a 'Cobra Garden' to contemporary sculpture, to experiments with gabion cages, cement pavers, epoxy resin and more! You can see a glimpse of some of our investigations below...

A collage of images of Junction 7 Creatives and friends trying out approaches to creating lasting installations out of the Cobra Stones.

Eventually we landed on the following design approaches to bring a beautiful selection of the stones back to Grace Way and beyond in this chapter of Cobra's story...

Dawn, Eddie & Owen Parnell standing by the first Cobra Pillar, marking the spot where Covid the Cobra began in May 2020.

Artist Szylk Wane stands by the Cobra Mural she painted in an underpass on Grace Way.

A visual collage of different stone designs from 'Covid the Cobra' - to represent the mosaic that is coming soon!

A 'Cobra Box' - a wooden box filled with hand-painted stones from 'Covid the Cobra.'

If you'd like to get involved with our work celebrating and commemorating Covid the Cobra, please contact us on junction7creatives@gmail.com / 01438 487017.

Cobra Stories

Picture of stone painted by Heather and Chris - a red heart with 'Jess + Kari' written on it, the name of their daughter and her wife.

Heather & Chris' story

When we heard about the Covid Cobra we painted a stone to celebrate our daughter Jessica’s marriage to her wife Kari. They were married in New Zealand during the Covid 19 pandemic and we were not able to attend due to lockdown. Missing your only daughter get married is awful but it was lovely to paint the stone and be part of ‘being together while being apart’.

A picture of a hand painted stone - white background with dotted rainbow and the words 'Stevenage 2020' painted on.

John's story

I found this stone when working on the Cobra project - I remember seeing it on Grace Way originally and was pleased to come across it since. I don't know who made it - let me know! - but I currently carry it with me as a symbol of what Cobra was all about, making me feel close to our entire Stevenage community.

Tell us your Cobra story by filling in the form below...

Huge thanks to everyone who brought Covid the Cobra to life in 2020 - and to everyone who has supported the project since.

Special thanks to:

Dawn, Eddie & Owen Parnell

Everyone who donated to the crowdfunding campaign for Cobra Continues

Everyone in the Community Development, Green Spaces and Engineering teams at Stevenage Borough Council

Stevenage Works

Cllr Roni Hearn and Michael Hearn

Cllr Jim Brown (Deputy Mayor 2023-24)

Cllrs Jeanette Thomas

Cllr Lin Martin-Haugh

Cllr Maureen McKay

Cllr Myla Arceno (Stevenage Mayor 2023-24)

Szylk Wane

Kerry Lanigan and Nysa Projects

Derek Howarth

Nick Gearing of NJ Garden Services

Graham Henderson of Signature CNC

Trevor Herbert, Liam Manson, James Ward and everyone at Junction 7 Creatives