Dozens of delighted faces arrived at a strawberry tea party held by Friends of Wateringbury Church.

The event, organised by chair of the group, William English, and held at his family home in Old Road was a bid to raise money for church repairs, including a refurbishment of the spire.

Guests enjoyed cakes, cookies, tea and Pimms, as well as a huge selection of strawberries donated by the supplier of the Wimbledon strawberries - Hugh Lowe Farms.

Mr English said: "As a committee we aim to welcome people in the local community who are not regular church goers but want to support the upkeep of the church.

"The group is made up of so many different people from different professions so there is a wide range of opinions and expertise which is fantastic, it covers generations, our youngest member to date - if she agrees to join - would be 20-years-old.

"It is this generation that are growing up with the church and will be supporting it in the years to come."

The Friends of Wateringbury Church hold small events throughout the year, and this is the second time a strawberry tea party has been held.

A total of £11,000 has been raised so far and Mr English hopes a further £4,000 can be generated by March 2016 to fund additional work.

The main priority for them is refurbishing the spire, then repair the glass in the doors and replace some window frames.

Mr English said: “We had a wonderful afternoon at the strawberry tea party, and without the support of local people and committee members we wouldn’t have been able to do half of the things we have for the church.

"It is lovely to see individuals who are not regular church goers become so involved in our efforts and I hope this joint effort continues."

The friends have so far raised £11,000, and aim to generate a further £4,000 by March 2016 to fund additional work. The raffle held at the part on Sunday, September 7 raised £200 alone.

For more info or to support the Friends of Wateringbury Church, visit: http://www.fowc.org.uk/