All the classic elements of a farm including cows, sheep, donkeys, goats, bees and plants will provide a livelihood for poor families thanks to the fundraising work of people at Tingley Methodist Church.

In just four months the congregation of around 70 people, raised the £2,000 needed to buy a farm for Africa through the British-based charity Send a Cow.

As well as providing the necessary animals and plants, the charity offers training, veterinary services and ongoing support to the families they help.

The congregation's first effort began in December 2006, when the Rev Robert Roberts suggested the church should try to raise £750 to purchase a dairy cow for Africa as a Christmas gift.

Marlene Woollin, a senior steward, said: "We always support a home charity and an international charity every year, but we never before had such a large collection amount to aim toward.

"The idea came up at the beginning of Advent, as everyone was beginning to think about sending Christmas cards and buying presents, then it just snowballed from there.

"We wanted to encourage the idea of giving instead of receiving. The children really seemed to get excited about being a part of it since an animal was involved."

Last Christmas, after seeing how well they had pulled together to pay for a cow, Mr Roberts encouraged them to think a little bigger, and aim for a farm.

They started by pinning up the cards they would have mailed to each other on a board in church and put the saved postal costs into the collection box.

Table-top sales, teas, dinners and quizzes followed, with groups and individuals of all ages coming up with fundraising ideas and events.

Mr Roberts said: "I think one member summed it up best when he told me the idea of sending a cow in 2006 was fantastic, but a farm seemed impossible, and then he added, 'I'm glad I was wrong'."

A representative from the Send a Cow charity will be at Tingley Methodist Church on Sunday, May 18, for the morning service to make a presentation on behalf of Send a Cow and to make an official collection of the cheque.

Send a Cow is a Christian organisation started by British farmers that enables poor farmers in Africa to become self-sufficient by providing them with livestock, training and advice on modern scientific developments, along with traditional African cultural methods that have died out in many villages due to the effects of war, natural disasters and disease.

They have been operating for 20 years and help families in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.