European Puppet Festival success for team

It began seven years ago as an activity for church-going children.

Now a group of amateur puppeteers from the West Midlands have walked away with an international award.

Members of the puppet team from St James Church in Brownhills went up against acts from all over the country in the European Puppet Festival.

They walked away with the trophy for performing the best skit at the contest, held at the Riverside Conference Centre in Derby.

Their act used a radio station set for their comic dramatisation of the Bible's account of how Jesus and his friend Peter walked on water.

The team of puppeteers comprises leaders Carol and Gareth Glass, of Hill Side, Lichfield, and sons Matthew, aged 14, and Philip, 16, and four other teenagers.

Mrs Glass said: "Each puppet has a name and are much loved 'members' of the team. We quickly realised the puppets enthral adults as well as children."