A SIGH of relief and rejoicing swept through Tavistock Parish Church last week when the heating system was repaired in time for Christmas celebrations.

Crowds who attended the Christmas Tree Festival ready to face the cold were unexpectedly greeted by a blanket of warm air.

The boilers at St Eustachius' Church, which had been condemned as unsafe at the annual inspection two weeks ago, were repaired by the insertion of a special chimney liner. This meant that one of the two boilers could be re-lit, and warm air circulated throughout the building once more.

The Rev Michael Brierley, priest-in-charge, said: 'I'm enormously relieved that this has happened in time for our Christmas festivities, which include our most popular services of the year.

'We'll still need to replace the boilers in the new year, but the temporary repairs mean that the heat is back on for all our Christmas services. No-one need fear that the place will be too cold — people have been taking off their layers.'

Mr Brierley paid tribute to local firms DB Heating and SH Construction, along with Keith Johnson from the church's fabric team, who had worked hard to get things back on track.

The Rev Brierley added: 'They've been released from other work by the kindness of other customers, and put in an enormous number of hours. We're extremely grateful to them.'

Details of all the Christmas services can be found at http://www.tavistockparishchurch.org.uk">www.tavistockparishchurch.org.uk and on cards at the back of the church building.