EACH of the 23 organisations in Cheriton Fitzpaine and one of its two pubs, for very good reasons one could not take part, helped make the parish church glow with colour and buzz with people during its three-day flower festival which raised £2,245.55 towards ongoing repairs and improvements.

“It is a good focus on all that is happening in the village and what brings people together,” said Alice May, one of the two organisers. It was held over the May 20, 21, 22 weekend.

Theme for the festival was “Street Party” and party each arrangement certainly did, even the Corgis were included, a maypole, big wheel and lots and lots of “cakes” created from flowers.

Organiser with Alice May was Hazel Norton, both Church Wardens.  Their work starts early in the year to give organisations time to get ideas together.

Up by the altar an arrangement for the Friends of St Matthew’s Church showed a beach party, by sheer coincidence picking up the colours in the big stained glass window above.

The primary school table included a model red London bus full of flowers on the top deck and even two small Corgi dogs.  The Garden Club and the Allotment Club both had displays, one with a maypole the flower filled top made by David Nunn, the other showing how diverse allotments can be. Cheriton’s are used by people of all ages.

A delightful arrangement for the Community Shop included its mascot Pippy, named by a young shopper.  The shop, beside the Methodist Chapel, celebrated its fourth birthday on May 12.

The festival raised funds to help with the internal re-ordering of the church to make it more flexible and so that furniture needs to be moved less often.

Thanking everyone for their time, energy and creative thinking, Alice May said it is the time that people put to the festival, how the village comes together even more at that time.

Visitors were asked to nominate their favourite display, won this year by Cheriton Fitzpaine Primary School.

Helping boost funds was Hazel and Andrew’s plant stall, again for the church fabric fund.

Fans of author Jean Rhys could pick up a leaflet explaining how she came to live in the village by chance.  This was written by her publisher, Diana Athill in 2017.  Jean died  at Cheriton in 1979.

At the back of the church was the Cheriton Community Banner, all the information beside it.  Every arrangement had a short description about each group.

• See more images in the current issue of the Crediton Courier, on sale now.