PEOPLE came from far and wide the weekend before Christmas to 'A Country Christmas' at Youngcott, North Petherwin, the beautiful home of Sam and Maggie Colwill.

The house was decorated with swags of foliage, and flowers giving it a cosy, seasonal feel. Many flickering of candles, and lanterns around the door added to the ambiance.

Outside were Christmas trees, one reaching to the eaves of the house sparkling with lights, as well as 13 trees imaginatively decorated by children for a Christmas tree competition. The contest was won by North Petherwin's Youth Group, whose tree was hung with decorations made by the children.

The weekend started on the Friday evening with a fork supper for 80 people. A silent auction attracted plenty of attention. Lots included a child's ride-on tractor, a lamb, 'chip a pet,' a rib of beef, a case of drink, and pretty silver jewellery, all kindly donated by local people and businesses.

Rather to his consternation, the bidding was brisk for a dinner to be cooked by John Uglow — interest boosted no doubt by enjoyment of the beef casserole that he had cooked for the fork supper. Other delicious dishes for the evening created by the Smale family and Jo Faull.

The weekend continued with a steady stream of people enjoying the warm welcome they received from Sam and Maggie. Even though the weather on the Saturday made the roads treacherous people still managed to make it to Youngcott to savour mulled wine and mince pies, coffee and home-baked cakes — one arriving appropriately on a tractor.

Numbers built through the day on Sunday, and in the evening a good throng of people gathered to sing carols. An impromptu performance of Silent Night by the children present enchanted everyone. Verna Jones came at short notice to accompany the carol singing on her keyboard, and the carols were considerably enhanced by the presence of several members of the Pelynt Male Voice Choir giving a richness and depth to the singing. Their rendition of 'While Shepherds Watched their Flocks' to the tune of Lyngham was a real highlight of the evening.

The weekend raised just under £3,000 for North Petherwin Parish Church and Help for Heroes; the final total has yet to be tallied as further donations are still coming in. It was a huge success which will be talked about for years to come, thanks not only to the kind hospitality and generosity of Sam and Maggie Colwill, but to the hard work of an enormous number of helpers.