Greece is the word at first festival of its kind in Milton Keynes

The Swinfen Harris Church Hall, in London Road, Stony Stratford, sizzled in the sunshine with the sound of kebab cookery, Greek dancing and a celebration of all things Hellenic.

The city’s first Greek Festival was held to raise money for the Greek Orthodox Community of Milton Keynes, a registered charity that holds regular orthodox church services and provides schooling in Greek language and culture.

The charity, which incorporates the Greek School of Milton Keynes, is aiming to use the £2,000 raised for the school, which is in need of a library, a stage for plays and a photocopier.

Among the attractions for the up to 600 people who attended during the afternoon were traditional dance by the Lyra Greek Dancers and the chance to learn about the long history of the country and its language.

Visitors even joined in with the joyful dancing spectacle.

There were also tours of the church, and plenty of Byzantine music to get everyone in the mood for eating, drinking and otherwise enjoying the culture of the ancient Aegean archipelago.