ST Thomas of Canterbury Church in Dodbrooke narrowly missed out on a £10,000 prize, but did come home with a cheque for £2,000.

Members of St Thomas of Canterbury Church recently travelled to London to receive their runners-up award in the Ecclesiastical Insurance and Church Times competition to find the Fundraising Idea of the Year.

The event at St Thomas of Canterbury Church that caught the eyes of the judges was their ‘Night of Crime and Quiches’ which included the Great Dodbrooke Quiche Bake Off and an evening themed around ‘Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death’, a book by MC Beaton.

The judges short-listed the event because it was ‘tremendous fun and pulled in many members of the community and local organisations who were not usual church-goers’.

After a celebratory lunch in the Crypt of St Martin in the Field, the representatives received a cheque for £2,000 from the Insurance Company’s Chief Executive Mark Hews, and Revd Christine Wilson, Archdeacon of Chesterfield.

This success will enable the fundraising committee to continue the refurbishment of the interior of Dodbrooke Parish Hall. Additional grants have also recently been received from Kingsbridge Town Council and the Saintbury Trust.