WELL, not literally of course, but when 'Friends of St Peters' in Stoke Fleming decided to raise money for the renovation of their church clock and bell tower one of their initiatives was to organise a Village Concert.

One of the organisers, Anne Bailey, confesses to some initial apprehension: 'This had never been done before, and we just had no idea how it would be received' says Anne. She admits that they weren't sure how many would attend, or whether the future of the church bells was sufficiently important to most people in the village to persuade them to buy a ticket and attend a village concert on a cold night in November. Anne is now very happy to admit that she worried quite unnecessarily.

On November 22, about 180 people attended the first Stoke Fleming Village Concert, and between them they raised a magnificent total of £1,300.

Another 'Friends' committee member, Jan Lloyd Edwards says: 'We had fourteen very different acts, and one of the really super features of the concert was the sheer variation. We had comedy, poetry, dance, and classical music; we have a fantastic local singer, Damian Corbett, who did a fabulous Tom Jones tribute. By way of contrast we also enjoyed the lovely contralto tones of Mary Heywood, a Stoke Fleming resident and one time BBC Chorale singer, who sang Bach's 'Bist du bei mir' in the original German. (Translates into English as Be thou with me)'.

The show also enjoyed a guest appearance of local celeb Mr Ed Welch, playing the St Peter's church organ.

The show was compered entirely in rhyme by another two locals, Rick Kemp and John Harrow. Rick admits that the two of them spent so much time writing rhyming couplets that in the end they were talking in rhyme even when they didn't intend to! When asked if they will be putting on a concert next year, Rick replied: 'A concert next year would be good.'

More information available from: Anne Bailey, 01803 770500 Email: [email protected]">[email protected]