LOOKING at the happy faces of residents in Ottery St Mary, it was hard to believe that eight months ago their homes were damaged by flooding.

In marked contrast to the heavy rain and hail which hit the village in October, the weather s tayed fine and dry when residents held a party at the Tumbling Weir on Friday evening.

More than 100 people from the village and nearby Feniton attended the event, all of whom had their lives disrupted to varying degrees by the freak weather, which left many homes in the area uninhabitable for months.

They were brought together by Ottery resident Barry Fearn, 69. He organised the event as a way of bringing the community together again, after many people were forced to move into temporary accommodation.

The guests enjoyed a buffet and were entertained by organist Elaine Ravenscroft, who played a song she had written entitled The Hailstone Hop.

There was also a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses, which raised more than £400 for Feniton church, which was also damaged by flooding.

Mr Fearn, a widower, lost his car and van in the flood, and the ground floor of his house in Thorn Farm Way was rendered uninhabitable.

He said: "It was an absolutely fabulous night. The music was brilliant, the food was good, everybody had a wonderful time. The Tumbling Weir was flooded. That's why we chose it — it had been in the same boat as us.

"It's closure for us after what we've been through. It was a lovely night and the weather was brilliant."

Among those present were pensioners Chris and Pauline Garlick, who returned home in April after living in rented accommodation while flood damage to their property was repaired.

Mrs Garlick said: "It went really well. Everybody enjoyed themselves; it was very jolly."

Mr Garlick said: "It was a lovely evening and there were no problems with the weather or anything like that — everybody was able to sit outside. I think everybody enjoyed themselves very much."

Work to repair a handful of properties is ongoing, but most residents have now been able to return home.