THE children of Lea Primary School, with the guidance and help of their teachers, prepared a wonderful spectacle of songs, prayers and poems to celebrate this year’s harvest service.

Parents and community members were invited to take part in this wonderful thanksgiving service, which reminded us all of just how fortunate we are to live, learn, play and grow up in Lea.

The service began with a pupils’ procession, carrying food donations to once again support local charity, Ross Community Larder. There was time for reflection and prayer, followed by beautiful singing and poems. The newly bonded reception class proudly presented the harvest loaf they made, and sang two songs with great confidence.

Older children showed off their new skills of sign language, sang hymns accompanied by the organist Margaret King, and performed cleverly put together short pieces of word games using harvest-related vocabulary - all to the enjoyment of a large congregation of parents, grandparents and friends.

It was also a chance for the children, their families, staff and governors to officially thank the Rev Neil Patterson for his seven-and-a-half-years' support for the school and community, as he moves on and takes up new challenges. We wish him all the best for the future and will no doubt see him again.

As Tony Morgan, our lay reader, summarised at the blessing, the service and Lea School’s performance was “Brilliant – as always!”