Thousands of children have been celebrating after rolling up their sleeves and setting a world record for the biggest finger painting ever created.

Their massive canvas, measuring 22,496.5sq ft, is being examined by two adjudicators approved by Guinness World Records.

They will decide if it has officially broken the previous mark.

Around 3,000 children and childminders descended on Belfast Zoo for the record bid.

The event was organised by the Northern Ireland Child Minding Association as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations.

Thrilled at the success of their attempt, association director Bridget Nodder said: "We wanted to do something a bit different to celebrate our anniversary."

The previous record was set in Austria in 2007 and was 699sq ft smaller than the new monster spread.

More than 4,000 children had already contributed to the artwork ahead of the final push at the zoo carpark where the huge painting was stitched together.

It features a central image of a house to symbolise the home-based care offered by childminders.

Belfast Lord Mayor Naomi Long paid a visit during the attempt and said it was "a great opportunity for children to get involved in a creative project which is tremendous fun."

Confirmation of the new record is expected in a couple of weeks.