ORGANISERS of a?valued?social amenity in Bere Alston celebrated its fifth birthday on Saturday.

Hope Cottage Café is owned by Bere Alston United Church and is staffed by volunteers from the churches in the Bere Peninsula and other members of the community.

It is open every morning except Sunday from 10am to 12.30pm to serve drinks and snacks and has become a regular venue for many in the villages who meet friends old and new to talk.

In better weather the garden is a source of constant delight and even when the climated is less than ideal it can be enjoyed from the comfort of the garden room.

Cottage manager Hilary Boot-Handford cut the ribbon on the new litter bin that was given to the village as a 'reverse' birthday present.

She said: 'We've spent five years serving the community in which we live and this bin, whilst not a very exciting present, represents another way of being able to make a difference to people's lives.

'The corner in which this bin is now sited was an eyesore as it attracted much rubbish because the wind blew it in. We hope that now the bin will stop this happening.'

After the short ceremony, all the café guests enjoyed tucking into a slice of cake made by one of volunteers on the cake rota, Charlotte Anderson.