Soap-loving flower fans were in for a treat at the Bocking Flower Festival.

Coronation Street, EastEnders, The Bill and Songs of Praise were just some of the television programmes represented in blooms at St Mary's church over the weekend.

It took major planning and patience to make sure each media creation was picture perfect.

And the Dean of Bocking Philip Need said all the hard work was worthwhile. He added: "The festival has gone remarkably well.

"It has been an action-packed weekend and more than 500 people have visited the church today. The weather has been on our side and the whole of Bocking has been alive."

Mr Need said the festival was called Kaleidoscope to reflect the whole idea of colour in different flowers and said: "The church was brilliant with colour"

All proceeds from the flower festival will go towards the ongoing restoration of the church building - a £300,000 project, £60,000 of which the congregation are striving to raise as part of a millennium project to repair the church roof.

The flower festival took place at the same time as the annual village fair. Yesterday, hundreds flocked to the village, dressed for summer and in the mood to relax and peruse what the stalls had to offer at their leisure.

Visitors were treated to a truly traditional May Fayre with Morris and Maypole dancers, bands and a craft and collectables fair in the village hall. And with long queues at the ice cream van, secretary of the fair organising committee Dorothy Pickford, hailed the event as one of the most successful in recent years.

"It was a wonderful day, the weather was superb and could not have been better," she said.

"There was a terrific turn out and the day has been a success. We build on our successes year on year."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.