Derbyshire church comes alive with jokes and quotes to help brighten dark days

The two avenues of lime trees at St Peter’s now carry a set of 35 posters, displaying short jokes, memorable quotes, Bible verses, cartoons, helpline numbers and QR codes.

The posters have been put up to help brighten up residents’ day under the current circumstances, with Covid-19 restrictions weighing heavy on everyone’s lives.

Reverend at St Peter’s, Tony Ward, said: “Over the years the trees have been silent witnesses to many scenes of joy and sadness in the lives of Belper residents.

“Now they’ve been enlisted to bless our town by lightening the January gloom, providing smiles, encouragements and some sources of joy.”

A vast array of different quips and messages are featured among the posters, including topical jokes and even links to uplifting videos on Youtube.

Rev’d Tony added: "Some of the jokes have been supplied by the church’s children.

“One of the QR codes takes you to a fabulous YouTube video of the Hallelujah Chorus.

“There’s also a cartoon depicting two policemen dragging Maria from the ‘Sound of Music’ off the mountains, with the caption “sorry mam, the hills are closed”.”

The display has gone down well with Belper residents.

The rev’d said: “Many local people walk through the churchyard each day and so far the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The posters will be on display in the churchyard until February 5.