A church has begun its summer celebrations with a barbecue in the sun which raised money to build a new hospice.

St John the Baptist Church, in Chipping Barnet, hosted its Party on the Green to celebrate the Queen’s birthday on June 11.

Counts this week revealed the event raised £3,103 which will be donated to Barnet charity Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice for its Build the Ark Appeal.

This project is aiming to build a children’s hospice near Barnet town centre.

St John hosts monthly lunches to fundraise for charity and Noah’s Ark is a regular recipient of their proceeds.

Church verger Jackie Peacock, 52, said: “We were very lucky on the day – the weather was beautiful, there were so many donations from businesses and lots of people from the community came out to enjoy the start of the summer.

“We did fantastically by raising this much money across a 4-hour local event and I hope that it helps Noah’s Ark move their project forward, as they are a charity very close to St John’s heart.”

The latest party a Punch and Judy puppet show and a bouncy castle for children.

Many businesses contributed to the proceedings, such as Smithfield Market, who donated meat for the barbecue and Starbucks, who provided coffee.

Nearby pub Ye Olde Mitre contributed Pimms and lemonade to be used in the party’s Pimms tent, which raised over £400.