Karen Lee said she could not thank people enough for their help

A snowed-in bride from Kent enlisted the help of 4×4 drivers to get her and 40 guests to the church on time and ensure the wedding went ahead.

Karen Rawlins, 42, had feared she would have to cancel her wedding to John Lee, 35, because of the snow.

But following an appeal on BBC Radio Kent, listeners helped transport them to the church, in the remote village of Dode, near Luddesdown.

Following the service the new Mrs Lee said: “It was a dream come true.”

She said: “It’s been absolutely amazing, I’m lost for words and can’t thank people enough for their generosity, it’s not what you expect really.

“In total there’s been about seven or eight cars and Land Rovers - we even had an offer of a tractor and trailer as well.

She added: “I think we had both resigned ourselves this morning to it not happening, then when all these people started pulling together and we realised we could get married, it was just unbelievable. It was a dream come true.

“We changed lots of things and cut short some things, but we had the ceremony and service and got married on he day we planned. That’s through the generosity of so many people.”

Volunteer John Goffin, 62, from Gillingham, who witnessed the service said: “A friend phoned me and said there had been an appeal on Radio Kent.

“I said I had a Land Rover Discovery and was quite happy to ferry some people to help out. I think it’s great to be able to do something like this. You do it because you want to.”

A string of kind-hearted listeners helped get the couple’s guests from the Premier Inn in Gravesend, and from the Leather Bottle in Cobham to the ceremony in 4×4 vehicles.

Speaking before the ceremony Mrs Lee’s sister Tracey Spellman, 41, said: “When my sister woke up this morning she was very quiet.

“When we started to have the calls through from the radio that there were cars coming, she was crying.

“It probably would have been off, but now it’s going to happen.”

Jane and Daniel Cluff donate blood up to three times a year

A couple from Oxfordshire surprised their wedding guests by throwing out the traditional wedding list and asking them to donate blood instead.

Daniel and Jane Cluff, both 35, from Abingdon, have never needed a blood transfusion themselves.

The pair have both donated blood since the age of 18 and thought it would be a good idea to encourage more people to sign up to the National Blood Service.

Twenty-five of their 120 guests agreed to donate blood.

‘Quite surprised’

As well as the invitations, guests had a chance to find out more about giving blood via an information board they made especially for the day.

“Some people were quite surprised,” said Mrs Cluff.

“A couple of friends said they’d been meaning to do it for ages it actually spurred them onto donate which was really good and hopefully they’ll continue doing so.”

Jonathan Sewell, lead donor relations manager for the National Blood Service, said: “A lot of people do tend to go for a big gift list at weddings these days, so for someone to turn round and be as generous as this is incredible.”

Mrs Cluff, a social worker, and Mr Cluff, an occupational therapist, married in the summer at Lains Barn near Wantage.

Seven thousand units of blood are needed every day to meet hospital demand. Last year 2.1 million donations were collected from about 1.6 million donors. That figure reflects only 4% of the eligible population, giving two or three times a year.

With some exceptions, many people aged between 17 and 65 can become a new blood donor.

The village won £500 in a BT competition for original use of a phone box

A village near Wells has made unusual use of an old phone box by converting it into possibly the country’s - if not the world’s - smallest mobile library.

As phone boxes are no longer used, BT gave Westbury-sub-Mendip the option of either having the box reinstalled, removed or they could buy it for £1.

The village opted for the latter and after a tea party was held, the idea to turn it into a library was decided on.

Bob Dolby from the parish council said he was thrilled with it.

He initially they did not know what to do with the phone box.

“The box looked empty, it looked a little bit sad and desolate,” he said.

The ‘ground floor’ of the library is for children’s books

When people found out that BT were holding a national competition for creative uses of the phone boxes, it gave them the incentive to search out ideas as to what could be done to convert the empty kiosk.

The only stipulation was it had to be useful to the community.

“Someone had the idea of converting the kiosk into a shower, but that was felt to be a little bit too public; it could have been used as an information point with a map of the village and the other thought was to convert it into a greenhouse but then one of my neighbours had a brilliant idea,” said Bob.

Resident Janet Fisher said: “At the tea party we were all mulling over the idea of what might happen to the phone box and I just had the idea that it could be a book exchange.

“We used to have a mobile library here which called once a week on a Monday, but that ceased a few months ago so it was missed and we’re all readers around here, have a reading group in the village.

“It just appealed; it certainly appealed to me.”