SPECTACULAR displays of colourful summertime flowers were enjoyed by hundreds of visitors to a Felixstowe church over the weekend.St Peter and St Paul in Ferry Road was filled with floral arrangements and the wonderful scent of the blooms as it held its first festival for ten years.

SPECTACULAR displays of colourful summertime flowers were enjoyed by hundreds of visitors to a Felixstowe church over the weekend.

St Peter and St Paul in Ferry Road was filled with floral arrangements and the wonderful scent of the blooms as it held its first festival for ten years.

The event – held over three days – celebrated the people from the parish who had over the centuries given up their normal daily lives to serve God as missionaries in foreign lands.

The church, which has stood on the same site for more than 700 years, has sent out missionaries to Africa, India, the Arctic, Singapore, China, Malaysia and many other places.

With the theme Go Forth and Tell, the arrangements were designed to reflect the lives of those who had gone out to spread the gospel.

These included brothers Arthur and Jack Turner, who went out to work with the Eskimo people the Inuit, Canon Cecil Green in north Africa, and Edyth Banks, who is currently working with OMF in Singapore.

There were also floral displays to highlight the outreach work done by the parish today, including its recent project to deliver a modern magazine-style copy of Luke's gospel to all 3,000 homes in the parish, the holding of Alpha Courses for people to explore the Christian faith, and its children's work.

Other arrangements reflected the work of church groups and the life of the area, with several local organisations taking part in the event, including youth and community groups.

The weekend also included a number of special services, including a confirmation service for nine young people, and a concert.

Proceeds will go to Christian aid agency Tearfund.