Pet pooches were the stars of the show at one church in St Ives for a remake of the greatest story ever told.

St Ives Methodist Church decided to hold their “dog nativity” after performances were cancelled due to ongoing Covid concerns.

“There was lots of corny dog jokes and puns – we even built a stable scene,” Rev Nick Witham said.

The nativity was held outside, with a St Bernard as Angel Gabriel and a couple of smaller pooches as Mary and Joseph.

Rev Nick continued: “The dogs got dressed up as particular characters.

“Baby Jesus was well behaved and stayed in the manger with no accidents!”

Some 17 dogs took part in total.

“We have had great feedback with many saying that it was a fantastic idea to engage with the Christmas story in a really fun way,” Rev Nick added.

“Everyone left with a smile and something to ‘paw-nder!’