A church community has been left stunned after a huge wicker angel mysteriously turned up at the entrance of the church last week.

Parishioners at the Holy Cross Church, in Park Lane, Hornchurch, say they were amazed when they saw an angel waiting at one of the doors of the church, last Wednesday (January 4).

Hall manager and member of the church committee, Dawn Reid said: “To be honest the origins of this wicker angel is really mysterious.

“I just didn’t know what to make of it, it is very strange.”

The Rev David Pearson says he saw the angel as he was leaving the church last Wednesday and didnt know where it had come from.

Dawn says that when she arrived at the church at around 6pm, she saw the angel in the doorway,

She said: “I was driving and my daughter pointed to it and it was only when we got out of the church that we realised that it was an angel.”

Rev Pearson said: “It was a nice surprise and my first thoughts were that it is amazing, and I would just love to have one like that.”

The vicar believes that the angel, which had fairy lights wrapped around it, could have been part of someone’s Christmas decorations and was blown outside of the church in last week’s storm.

Another explanation is that it was found by someone and placed outside the church.

The angel, which has been put at the back of the church with a sign saying lost property, has become very popular with lots of interest from the children.

Rev Pearson is now trying to reunite the angel with its owners.

He said: “When I told people about it, they thought I was joking until they came in on Sunday and saw it.

“I have been at this church for two years and we had had a lot of vandalism but this is the first time we have got something like this.”

He added: “It would be nice if someone had left the angel to us but I know they are very expensive and I would just like to return it to its rightful owner.”