THE Princess Royal came to Chineham last friday - through the backdoor, via a helicopter.

A crowd of about 60 was there to meet her at the A33 access lane, but by the time she left numbers had diminished somewhat. Apart from serious expressions of disappointment at the county council and Environment Agency's failure to take local concerns seriously, the gathering concluded with rather less royal enthusiasm than there had been at the start!

CHRIST Church events: On Wednesday, the fellowship group will be meeting from 9.45am for a simple service of readings, prayers, hymns and a talk.

THOSE involved in telling Bible stories to children and youngsters are invited to a "Storytelling Workshop" led by Lucy Moore of the Bible Reading Fellowship on Wednesday, from 8pm until 10pm. Please let Ruth Randall in the parish office know if you would like to go along by calling 474280

ADVANCE notice: Conservation work on Chineham's woodland starts again on Saturday, from 10am until 1pm in either Great Sorrell's Copse or Long Copse. Details to follow. If you would like further information, contact Amanda Robb on 07769 904143 or Jonathan Forsyth on 845434.