THE first Osmotherley Angel Festival has been praised for bringing the whole community together.
The three-day event in the village near Northallerton was attended by hundreds of people to get the Christmas season underway.
Among them was Rishi Sunak and his family who visited the church open day which was one of multiple events held over Friday, Saturday and Sunday of last week.
The Richmond MP admired the display of more than 100 angels in St Peter’s Church made by village organisations, families, individuals and businesses.
He said: “It was an amazing spectacle. There were some really inventive angels – one made of Meccano with moving wings and another made solely of corks.
“It was very well attended and brought the whole community together. I congratulate the organisers on a very successful inaugural festival.”
Other events held during the festival included an opening reception in the church, a dinner for 60 in the village hall cooked by Syd Howlett and Amy Callin, an angel hunt around the village and a candlelit Advent celebration. There was also a family angel-making workshop with materials supplied by Northdale Horticulture in Northallerton.
The festival was organised by Osmotherly Community Group, Osmotherley Village Hall and St Peter;s Church.
Eileen Bellett, a member of the festival steering committee, said the organisers had been thrilled by the response of villagers.
“We have had some tremendous feedback,” she said. “People said it was a real community effort and very joyous.”
The festival was supported by North Yorkshire County, Hambleton District and Osmotherley Parish councils. Any surplus will be split between Northdale Horticulture, the Jenny Ruth Workshops, Ripon and the Northallerton Mencap Group.