Church fete's touch oftennis history

The volunteers made a 3,300 profit for St Mary's Church even though Sunday'soccasion clashed with the men's final at Wimbledon.

They dressed in tennis costume to mark the occasion to the delight of the more than 500 people who filled the church hall field.

A small queue formed at the entrance before the gates were opened a few minutes early to enable the eager crowd to browse the bric-a-brac and cake stalls.

Highlights of the afternoon were performances by the children of St Mary's CoE School in Climping who delighted the crowd with their singing, recorder playing and intricate display of maypole dancing.

Fete organiser Cara Hood is a teacher at the school. Her class found selecting ice creams to be sold was good experience in English and maths.

Visits to the ancient church and churchyard sparkling in the sun were also popular.

The day, ended at 7pm on 07.07.07, when the exhausted team sat down to a fish and chips supper to reflect on their success.