VISITORS to a Christmas angel festival at St Laurence Church in Hilmarton enjoyed a festive display of colourful decorations brought in and made by congregation members.

During the festival, on Friday and Saturday, the church was filled with a wide variety of angels, from large to small.

Organiser Elaine Leighton asked congregation members to lend their angels for the display after a successful nativity festival held in the church a few years ago.

She also arranged an angel-making workshop for children and a beaded angel workshop for adults, who also offered to bring back their creations for the weekend’s display.

Mrs Leighton, who is part of the parochial church council, said: “I spent a lot of time with the children because we had a children’s corner where they were making angels.

“We had a wide variety of angels, some were obviously treasured angels that come out every year in people’s houses and a lot of home-made angels as well.

“We had a lot of comments about how pretty the church looked.”

The angel festival coincided with a concert on Saturday night, when the Cantemus choir from Newbury performed, and a traditional carol concert on Sunday afternoon.

Congregation members were able to serve refreshments during the festival thanks to St Laurence’s new community corner, which has a new kitchen and a disabled toilet.

Mrs Leighton said: “The new community corner made everything just so much easier and having the toilet in there made a huge difference because people could come and stay there longer.

“We had a little stall selling beaded angels and selling the parish cookbook. That’s been very successful.

“We sold out of the first 100 copies. I reckon we have sold about 150 now.”