On a dank, grey, November day, what better way of spending a couple of hours could there have been than popping along to a Spud 'n Pud lunch in the Methodist Schoolroom.

From out of a newly installed state of the art kitchen (part of the on-going Chapel Redevelopment Project), came potatoes for everyone with a choice of delicious fillings including chilli, sour cream & cheese, mince, chicken and bacon and cheese. Something for every palate and if that wasn't enough what followed was a sweet trolley, heaped with home made puddings, desserts and trifles, all topped off with a choice of custard or cream.

How much easier for the ladies who prepared the meal than it was the last time this lunch was held-then there was literally no kitchen, but undaunted they simply carried on. Now there is a substantially larger kitchen, smart cooker, roomy fridge and, joy of joys, a dishwasher, all of which will be of a great help when catering for events.

Almost 40 villagers thoroughly enjoyed their meal, (not to mention catching up with friends and hearing news) served by members of the Chapel. The event raised £330 which will be shared between two charities. The first one of these is Mary's Meals, an organisation that provides school meals to more than three million children in 16 countries every school day and which, thanks to the generosity of a group of sponsors, will, from November 10th, double any amount donated to the charity.

The second charity chosen was a local one-Ripon Food Bank, which provides emergency food parcels for people in crisis, through no fault of their own, in Ripon and the surrounding villages.