A record amount of money was raised at an eagerly anticipated annual fete at Pakefield Church.

Lowestoft Journal: Anya MacFarlane, Izzy Smith with Teddy First Aider Catherine Mullender- Scott.Anya MacFarlane, Izzy Smith with Teddy First Aider Catherine Mullender- Scott. (Image: Archant)

Visitors slapped on the sun cream and donned their shades to enjoy the glorious sunshine on Saturday, July 4.

And there was a new twist at this year's event.

In previous years, the children's bears were attached to a parachute and dropped from the church roof.

But this year it was changed to a large zip wire, giving the teddy bears a new exhilarating experience.

Visitors could also enjoy the popular sideshows, a bouncy castle, bric-a-brac, stalls, a raffle and entertainment from some children's clubs, who took part in singing and dancing.

The church, situated on The Causeway and Sunningdale Avenue, made nearly £2,200 - which canon Bob Baker described as a 'fantastic amount'.

'It was a record-breaking year and I would like to thank everyone who helped put on the event and members of the local community who came to support it,' he said.

'We were very fortunate with the weather and I was being soaked with wet sponges, which turned out to be quite refreshing for me.

'To see so many people enjoying themselves and for them to see that the church is alive and well was wonderful.'

A total of 124 teddies took the brave leap down the zip wire after some minor adjustments to the wire were made, as a Super Mario toy had trouble descending back to earth.

'We have had parachuting teddies for the past few years so we thought we would give them a chance to experience something new,' Canon Bob Baker said.

'Once they landed, the bears were taken away in a train ambulance to a first aid centre where most of them had a bandage put on and they could collect a certificate.

'On the day, we ran out of everything including ice creams, hamburgers and cakes.

'I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard on the day and everyone who came along.'

The next event is entitled Ice Cream Sundae on July 19 at 3pm on the Pakefield beach below the church.

Games will be on offer and a special children's service will take place.

Are you organising a charity event? Email joe.randlesome@archant.co.uk