CROWCOMBE'S gem of a parish church was full of flowers last weekend after village volunteers spent hours with toothbrushes and elbow grease cleaning its priceless medieval carvings.

Now, parishioners at the Church of the Holy Ghost are embarking on an ambitious project to raise an estimated £150,000 to pay for vital work in the ancient building's fabric.

Visitors to the church's flower festival were invited to enter a competition to match flower arrangements with verses from the Bible to help raise cash for repairs.

Work includes re-pointing the 14th century sandstone tower, repairs to the 15th century nave and chancel roofs, and to the roof and outer wall of the 16 century South aisle. The venerable building is also suffering from damp.

For the full story, see the West Somerset edition of this week's Somerset County Gazette.