A NORTH Yorkshire church has celebrated its 600th year with a floral display based on the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful.

All Saints Church, in Bolton Percy, between York and Tadcaster, celebrates its 600th anniversary this year and has enjoyed visits from the Archbishop of York (who helped to bury a time capsule) and the Bishop of Selby. Village events have also been staged, ranging from choral shows to art exhibitions.

This weekend (July 13/14) is the turn of the Festival of Flowers – a celebration which will see the inside of the church decked out in a floral display created and grown by the villagers themselves.

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Jim Reid, a volunteer at the church and mastermind behind the idea, said: “When we had the idea last autumn and the sun was shining, we didn’t realise it would be one of the worst springs we’ve had for ages!

“Lots of early stuff we grew has been eaten by slugs, but you wouldn’t know that now! It looks fantastic, everyone has been bringing stuff in. We have a nice cemetery garden, it’s quite well known, and the village itself is quite nice at the moment so everything looks amazing.

“There’s a whole pile of people in the church, flowers everywhere – it’s organised mayhem.”

Celebrations are set to take place all weekend with the Festival of Flowers held inside the church between the hours of 10am and 5pm and open to all.

Refreshments are also available from 11 am to 4pm in the parish room and from 5.30pm onward, there will be a pop-up pub and a pizza van for revellers to continue their celebrations into the night.

Entrance is free with any donations going towards the upkeep of the church.