PARISHONERS at Ledbury Church were certainly not hiding their lights under a bushel last weekend, as they put their skills on show for a good cause.

Instead of the the bells of St Michael's, it was the Skills of St Michael's that really drew in the crowds.

People flocked to the who came to see a number of live demonstrations.

Event spokesman, David Kirkham said: "Strange sounds were heard in the church this weekend! It wasn’t the organist having an off-day either! This was the weekend of “The Skills of St Michael’s” our celebration of the art and craft skills of the congregation.

"The whirr of a sewing machine, the quieter hum of a felting machine and fantastic model steam engines running on compressed air all added to the lively atmosphere."

He added: "More than twenty members of the congregation showed what they can do, including calligraphy, decoupage, quilting, lace making, woodturning, pottery, furniture and wooden toy making, wire sculpture and even live Lego modelling by one young contributor.

"Beautiful pictures in many media - acrylics, ink and embroidery were on show and one member worked away on his tapestry orchid. Lesser known skills such as macramé, felting and parchment craft drew a lot of attention."

The celebration was part of the Herefordshire Festival of Churches and coincided with Ride and Stride, an annual sponsored bike ride and walk in aid of the Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust. More than 300 visitors were welcomed and they contributed in excess of £180 to the trust.

Mr Kirkham said: "Our organists did not have any off days, they demonstrated the range of our organ and provided a delightful musical background to the weekend."

Accompanying pictures:

P9130657 – Members of the St Michael’s Craft Club showing theor needlework.

P9130660 – David Wood-Robinson explains his tapestry orchid picture to Jean Barnes.

P9130662 – Reuben has nearly completed his Lego model

To follow in a separate email:

P9130672 – Wire sculpture of a brown hare by Judith Waddington

P9130674 – Emma’s macramé work

P9130676 – One of Jim’s fantastic model engines (Less than a foot long and having 519 moving parts!)