Honing Village Weekend to raise funds for two parish churches

The tiny parish of Honing is holding a country crafts and village memories weekend as part of a bid to raise �66,000 for church repairs.

The Church of St Peter and St Paul in Honing needs �16,000 spending on roof repairs and general maintenance while medieval All Saints' Church in the same parish, in nearby Crostwight, requires re thatching at a cost of �50,000.

Vicar Barry Furness said: 'At the church in Honing, water comes in every time in rains badly and damages the internal walls and plaster.

'The thatched roof in Crostwight is in a bad way. It has medieval wall paintings and if the water was to get in it would be a terrible loss.'

The fundraising event takes place on September 8 and 9 from 11am to 5pm in and around Honing Church.

The weekend will begin on the Saturday with the blessing of the plough at 10.30am. There will also be live music from The Jazz Annie Trio from noon to 1pm and from 2 to 3pm. Sunday will include teddy parachuting at 2pm, wet sponge stocks and music from Uncle Walter's Concert Party.

Attractions on both days include crafts, plants, basket making, local produce, ploughing and cultivating displays and a chance to drive a vintage tractor. There will also be local history displays, including a menu brought from Paris following the Battle of Waterloo by the ancestor of a local family and artists in residence in the church.