THE glorious scent of lilies greeted flower festival goers at the St Michael and All Angels Church in Ledbury over the Jubilee weekend.

The 150 'Flower fanciers' that poured through the door before Saturday lunchtime were supplied with a visual feast from the second they stepped into the entrance porch with every nook and cranny bedecked with blooms.

St Michael's Church Flower Guild supplied perhaps the largest of the 31 displays representing 'the Lord of the Dance' with a cascading maypole of soft pastel colours.

Another highlight included a 'flowery' sheep fashioned out of white chrysanthemums and a Herefordshire bull made of moss and sporting conkers for eyes.

Representing the county's farming community, the display aimed to demonstrate that in spite of the devastating effects of foot and mouth, Herefordshire is well and truly back on the farming map.

The parish flower festival for the Golden Jubilee involved nearly every community group imaginable from Ledbury Quilters to the First Ledbury Scouts.

Organisers began to plan the event nearly two years ago but it wasn't until midnight on Friday that everything was finally in place just ten hours before the doors were due to open.

The presence of a floral crown added a touch of patriotism in the duel purpose event that was also held to raise funds for the restoration of the building.

Flower festival organiser, Judy Street said: "We have spent a lot of time raising money for this and we have covered all the expenses so every penny is going to the church repair fund."