The Rev. Linda Le Vasseur in festival mood. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0586784)

THE Forest Church country flower festival was one for the books. Renee Fitzgerald, 83, who was baptised and married in the parish church and has often contributed to the festival, said this year’s displays were particularly imaginative.

‘When I heard that the theme was books, I couldn’t envisage how people would tackle it with flowers but the ingenuity and imagination they have shown with their arrangements is fantastic,’ she said. Mrs Fitzgerald insisted that she had never doubted the capabilities of Forest parishioners. ‘The people from this parish always shine. They are the best,’ she said.

The 24 floral displays in the church at the weekend were designed around books ranging from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland to Victor Hugo’s Toilers of the Sea.