Churches in Penarth and surrounding areas came together for Messy Church on Thursday for an afternoon of fun family activities on Penarth Beach.

Attendees took part in activities such as building pebble stacks, to remind them about the importance of having the right firm foundations in their lives, and the group used a blow-up globe to pray for the world before embarking on a beach clean-up and searching for fossils.

The idea was to combine worship, normally confined to church buildings, with the wonder of creation and the wildness of winter.

Luckily, the unpredictable weather did not put a dampener on the day: "It was so cold and yet there was a strange warmth as we met and 'did' Church on the beach in Penarth," said Reverend Steve Lock 55, organiser and senior engagement worker at Llandaff Diocese.

"It snowed, it hailed, and it was windy too, but the fun and focus filled our hearts with joy as the sun shined just at the right time."

To end the day, the group left encouraging messages painted onto pebbles for people to find later and they even built a boat out of pebbles and rocks to mark how Jesus helps people through the storms of life.

The group also toasted marshmallows around a fire to reflect on the great things in life and the goodness of the warmth they can find in every situation or storm they face.

Reverend Lock added: "Thanks to everyone involved from across the churches in Penarth and to Stol Coffee for braving the weather with us. It was a wonderful experience and one we shall look to do again in other suitably unconventional worship spaces across Penarth."