PREPARATIONS are well under way for the Country Flower Festival being held next weekend at St James’s Church in Bondleigh.

The harvest-themed event runs from 2pm on Friday, September 14 until the harvest service at 3pm on Sunday, September 16.

A lot of hard work and creativity has gone into the displays which are based loosely on lines taken from harvest hymns.

One display features the famous Bondleigh Treacle Mines and produce from this year’s harvest – including treacle tarts – will be on sale!

There is also a competition for children to make harvest-themed displays, which will be on show over the weekend.

Proceeds from the event will be split between a project to upgrade the church’s heating and lighting and the Devon Historic Churches Trust, which provides grants for church repairs and the installation of facilities such as kitchens, heating, lighting and disabled access.

Bondleigh churchwarden Danny Semorad said: ‘Raising money to repair our church roof the year before last was a daunting task. The DHCT was very supportive and encouraging and thanks to them, many other funders and village events we managed to reach our target of £90,000. We felt we would like to give something back to the DHCT to go towards helping other Devon churches. The money raised from our flower festival will go to the DHCT but it has been agreed that half of funds raised will be returned to Bondleigh for our current lighting and heating project.’

Entry to the festival is free, but donations to the DHCT are welcome. South Zeal folk band Mariners Away will play in the church on Saturday evening.