BEACON Hill United Reform Church will play host to an historical and hysterical view of knickers this weekend to help raise vital cash for an extension. The church is just £40,000 shy of its £400,000 target for an extension to the community room and a general revamp of the whole building. The rest of the money has been made up by council grants, local fundraisers and even a sponsored walk round the Inca Trail by church minister Rosemary Pullen. And villagers will have another chance to boost the coffers this weekend thanks to "Knicker Lady" Rosemary Hawthorne. Mrs Hawthorne has written a range of books on the history of women's underwear, including Knickers: An Intimate Appraisal. It is an interest that has grown since Mrs Hawthorne decided to quit acting at just 21. Before then, she had been a student at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts but left to marry husband John, who is a retired vicar and Mrs Hawthorne's manager. Mrs Hawthorne, who wrote her first book after telling a student where the word bloomers comes from, said: "I sat down at my old Olivetti typewriter and did the first book, and then I got asked more and more to go out and perform it. "Eventually some agents asked me to turn it into a show. It's just amazing where me and my knickers turn up!" But although it means Mrs Hawthorne can combine her love of costume and acting, she admits that continually talking about underwear can get a bit much. She said: "If I'm honest I think 'Can I really bear to start talking about them again?' and 'Why don't people want to hear about shawls or dresses?' "But the common denominator is people like to hear about knickers because they are funny in a British, naughty but nice way." And for anyone interested in where bloomers came from, they are named after a 19th-century American feminist called Amelia Bloomer, who often wore the baggy trouser suits invented by Elizabeth Miller. The suit retained a woman's decency without restricting her movement like the traditional flowing skirts, but were widely ridiculed and never fully caught on. The Knicker Lady will give villagers a chance to learn all about underwear while helping the church. The talk, which starts at 7-30 pm on Saturday, will follow a supper, which starts at around 6-30 pm. Tickets are £15. Call 01428 606236.