THIS year, Churches Together in Kendal and District had a float in the Torchlight Procession.

The theme was Books, so it obviously had to be the Bible - and Noah's Ark was our choice.

The story is in the Old Testament - that part of the Bible common to Jews and Christians. We were loaned a 40 feet lorry, which was scarily large. After two initial brainstorming sessions, people went off to organise the final details with flair and imagination, and then to create the items. A 23 feet ark filled much of the space, along with a wonderful rainbow of air filled balloons (no helium!). A seven piece Salvation Army band and a pianist on a keyboard led the singing, and the people dressed as animals completed the scene. Fish and other marine life swam on an 80 feet length of sea, and yards of bunting floated round the top. After we had passed, on the back of the lorry, there was a picture of the Bible with reference to Genesis.

Nine workshops produced fish, animals, clouds, booklets and the ark. Then there were fish, birds and butterflies, made in the homes of Kendal folk. At one workshop I counted 16 people from 10 churches of five denominations - all working together - truly ecumenical; and nobody knew or worried about where the others came from. We were just friends, working towards a common goal. Of course, there was a hidden agenda: we showed the thousands who watched the carnival that night, that Christians are an active, fun lot of people, who join together whatever their denomination.

Anne D Wilson, United Reformed Church, Kendal