FLOOD-hit Tipton St John residents said thank-you to the Rotary Club of Otter Valley on Saturday, after the group gave nearly �20,000 to the village.

FLOOD-hit Tipton St John residents said thank-you to the Rotary Club of Otter Valley on Saturday, after the group gave nearly �20,000 to the village.

Freak weather last October devastated Tipton's playing fields and uninsured tennis courts.

Rotary Club members, who were on hand to help stricken residents in Tipton and Ottery straight after the storms, have handed over �15,000 to restore the tennis courts and �1,200 to pay for fencing repairs, replanting and a new bench on the village's playing field.

The Tipton Owlets playgroup was also given around �1,000 for a new playhouse and play mat, while the village cricket club and local band the Starkadders were handed cash to replace damaged equipment.

On Saturday, the Tipton St John Playing Field Association, together with other local organisations held a 'thank you tea' for the Rotary Club.

Asked what the cash meant to the village, chairman of the Tipton playing field association Jo Earlam's answer was simple: "everything".

She said: "With the money we were able to restore all the fencing as good as new, if not better than before. If we hadn't had the money from them we would have taken a lot longer to get it done. We rely completely on donations and local support. The tennis courts would still be in the state they were in after the floods.