BIBLICAL blooms raised a whopping £1,300 towards disabled toilets.

Parishioners at St Nicholas Church, East Challow, created a festival of floral fun on a theological theme over the weekend of October 7.

The Friends St Nicholas School, King Alfred’s Quilting Group, East Challow WI, Wantage Flower Arranging club, the Gardening club, Playmates and the Open The Book team all donated arrangements.

The church also hosted a sale of paintings.

The event was all held to raise money for a major modernisation project.

The village church is planning to 'sensitively introduce modern facilities' to make the building more accessible and welcoming.

This will involve rearranging the entrance to provide a more direct access into the building, a ramped access path, a disabled toilet and new catering facilities.

Jeff Penfold, who helped organise the festival, said: "The planned improvements are an important part of our mission and outreach, and our desire to ensure that our much-loved spiritual space will serve more effectively the future generations of our growing community."

"Due to the generous support of all those who visited we were able to raise an amazing £1,300 towards a total project cost £50,000. With the income from other fund raising events, some generous giving and some grants we are now have at least 75 per cent of our target figure, and we hope to start work in the spring of 2018."