ANGELS flew above the heads of the congregation in St Stephen's, Rochester Row, Westminster, from Advent Sunday to Epiphany, to the delight of those who attended church, those taking part in the various carol services regularly held in the church, and the many passing international visitors to London.

The angels had all been created by members of the congregation and the children of Burdett-Coutts C of E Primary School. One of the artists in the congregation, Andrew Brown, had drawn templates of a standing and a flying angel, which were reproduced on card in different sizes, and people had taken them away to decorate with as much as possible to make them shine and glitter, although a few talented people preferred to design their own.

Some angels had special interests. The bell-ringers excelled themselves, bestowing on their angels bells and bell-ropes, and even robes of change-ringing methods. There were musical angels - some with musical scores, some with feathered wings, others bearing flowers. One "really useful angel" was covered in advertisements for really useful products. But the overall effect was ethereal, and, when they came down after Epiphany, the nave suddenly seemed a bare and empty space.