A RIOT of colour and fragrance filled the town’s most prominent church as it celebrated half a millennium of worship.

The flower festival was organised as a gesture of thanksgiving for the much-loved St Michael’s Church in Basingstoke town centre.

The old church has survived the ravages of the English Civil War and a deadly air raid in the Second World War and now stands as a contrast to the modern world surrounding it.

Inside, the church was bedecked with stunning arrangements, offering a feast for the senses.

The wide variety of flowers in the 40 arrangements ranged from roses to hydrangeas.

Contributors included those hiring the village hall, other religious denominations, the bellringers plus, importantly, the church’s 18-strong team of flower arrangers.

Betty Godden, who helped to organise the festival last Friday and Saturday with Diane Allen and Annie Knox, said: “There were some stupendous arrangements and it was tremendous to see them everywhere. It was really overwhelming.”

Some of the displays reflected the roles played by people in the church, with a cup and saucer design by the church coffee-and-tea-makers and a holy duster by the cleaners.

The next major anniversary celebration will be a Michaelmas fayre, the traditional feast of St Michael, which falls on the autumnal equinox on Saturday, September 25.