Every year the organisation make an award for the best restored ecclesiastical building and this year the local church scooped the prize.

A programme of conservation to the saxon church of St Andrew was planned to commence in 2004 to repoint the south wall of the church, porticus and sanctuary.

This was followed by the removal of deteriorated post- medieval render from inside the tower and finally in 2006 the nave, north aisle, quire and sanctuary.

The removal of the decayed plasterwork revealed some very interesting features; two well preserved windows one high up in the nave and the other in the porticus behind the sundial, both of which are probably either of early or very late Saxon origin; two blocked up windows in the south wall of the quire; an aumbry cupboard and sparse remains of a piscina in the sanctuary; and a wall painting featuring chevron decoration depicted in red, yellow and black on the west wall of the nave which could be of 12th century origin.

The PCC would like to thank their architect Peter Pritchett of John D Clarke and Partners and the contractors T E Tilley Ltd and all their very skilled craftsmen for all the work they have put into this project.

q An ideal opportunity to visit the church to see the restoration work is next week when there is a flower festival in the church and a photographic exhibition in the Parish Hall to celebrate Bishopstone's 'Past Times'.

The three day festival is from Friday August 29 and Saturday August 30 from 10am-5.30pm and Sunday August 31 from 12noon-6pm finishing with Festival Evensong.