The days may be drawing in but the sun came out for the 250 participants who came from Liberal and Orthodox communities including Amersham, Bristol, London, Maidenhead, Oxford, Reading, Swindon and Weybridge to join the fourth Thames Valley Limmud on Sunday.

An organising team headed by TVL chair Danny Allen spent a year in preparation for the new location in Theale Green Community School. For the first time TVL boasted a Young Limmud under the guidance of Nathan Servi. The adults had the choice of seven or eight options at each of six sessions during the day. Shopping at the Shuk and coffee provided essential breathing time between sessions.

Gary Fellman, head of the programming team, supervised the running of a diverse choice of activities. Choices were offered from painting on glass and silk in creative arts to religious, cultural and historical lectures on many subjects including aspects of prayer, Biblical authorship, a reply to Dawkins 'God Delusion', songs of defiance during the Holocaust and the history of medieval Jewish Oxford. The team of presenters included Clive Lawton, Rabbi Jonathan Romain, Malcolm Wiseman, Sa'ad Khaldi and Rabbi Zvi Solomons.

Volunteer organiser Hila Bram from Maidenhead Synagogue said: "This event embodies Limmud's core values with the strong volunteer ethic required to make it all happen. That underpins the success of the day, with sharing, equality in Jewishness and learning together."