Two decades ago, a group of Christian dairy farmers came up with what seemed to some like a crazy idea. They decided to respond to the plight of malnourished families in post-conflict Uganda by sending not money, but cows.

On 4^th July 1988, in a blaze of publicity, 25 pregnant cows were flown to Uganda - and Send a Cow was born. This year, it's celebrating its 20^th anniversary with a variety of events and St James Church in Elstead is joining in.

St James Church will be holding a Harvest Festival Service on Sunday 28^th September  at 11 am followed by a Harvest Festival Lunch in the Village Hall, to which all are welcome. Tickets for the lunch are available from Sarah Goodship  (01252 702 613) and Irene Tracy (01252 703 021) at £6 (Children £2.50).

There's certainly plenty to celebrate! Send a Cow now works in 10 countries in Africa, giving locally-bought animals ranging from bees to breeding bulls. It also provides veterinary services, plus training in animal care and sustainable organic agriculture.

That package of help has enabled Ana Grace Amongin to start working her way out of poverty. A Ugandan widow, Ana used to have no idea how to feed, clothe, or school the orphaned children she was caring for.

Then she was given a cow, Peace. Ana uses Peace's manure to enrich her soils. Her family now enjoys nutritious vegetables and milk, and any extra is sold to pay for school expenses and household needs.

"I have transformed my land," says Ana. "We are all healthy."

In common with all families helped by the charity, Ana passed on the first female calf to another family in need. This pass-on principle has underpinned Send a Cow's dramatic growth - and will be the theme of many of the celebrations this year.

The charity is launching a Pass It On appeal, encouraging supporters to give a little of their good fortune to help others. There will be plenty of fun, too, as supporters are holding a network of Big Birthday Bashes across the UK. There's even a new Passing On Hope DVD to watch.

Send a Cow is also calling on churches across the country to plan their own celebrations to pass on the message about its work - and hopefully raise some money too.

So why not join in the celebrations at St James's Church! Your support will go a long, long way. We have a visiting speakers from Send a Cow,  Robin and Mary Crittenden who will show a visual presentation on the charities' work - please come along and support us on 28^th September.

Sally Parker, who has been teaching Pilates in Elstead Youth Centre for a couple of years now, is starting a class for complete beginners in September, at the same venue.

Pilates is a series of exercises created by Joseph Pilates to target the deep postural muscles, building strength from the inside out, rebalancing the body and aligning it correctly. It helps to reshape the body, improve posture and relieve stress and tension.

Pilates is recommended by medical specialists for those with back problems, however it os often difficult to find a class starting from the very beginning, teaching good movement skills step by step.

Sally is a Pilates Matwork Master Teacher with 20 years of experience in the fitness world. For more details see her website: www.firmfriends.org.uk, or call 01483 419 728.