Marrows and marmalades help community gel

Worstead rolled up its communal sleeves and got stuck into digging, baking, knitting, painting and a host of other crafts and skills for a village horticultural show on Sunday. The fruits of the children's and adults' labours made an eye-catching and colourful display in the village hall where expert judges chose the champions in each class and an auction of contributions afterwards raised about �300 for two good causes.

The event was the brainchild of Worstead School headteacher Yve Reynolds and was organised in just three weeks by Sally Smith and Amanda Dunk, chairman and vice chairman of the school's friends' group.

They cycled round the village and neighbouring parishes, sometimes in the rain, delivering flyers and putting up posters encouraging everyone to take part and Mrs Reynolds was delighted with the result.

'It makes your heart sing. A lot of people have been involved and I am just delighted,' she said.

'I was trying to think of ideas to get all of the community together, not just our immediate school community.

'I think this is a marvellous way to celebrate and say 'thank you' for things like food which we take for granted.'

Worstead School parents Vanessa Davies and Mike Lloyd swept the prizes board with their garden produce while grandmother Gwen York took most honours in the baking classes.

Money raised from the auction will be shared between Worstead Day-Care Centre at neighbouring Meeting Hill, and the children's hospice at Quidenham.