Work on a £53,000 project to improve disabled access to a church in Llanfyllin has begun after a long campaign.

After several years of campaigning, work has started to improve access to the historic St Myllin’s Church in the town.

An early estimate suggests that the project could be finished within the next four weeks.

Work began on Monday, August 12, as the £53,000 project will see new steps and handrails added to the front door with ramp access for wheelchairs, prams and people who find steps difficult.

The Reverend Hermione Morris said: “This will make a huge difference. Having already made some internal improvements to the side chapel, it’s easy to see what a big impact better access will have on the front entrance of the church.

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“This has been in the works for a long time, with efforts to get this done dating back to pre-Covid times. It was one of the first major issues discussed by the Friends of St Myllin’s group when that was officially launched in 2018.

“Just before 2020 we had settled on some quotes, but then the pandemic delayed everything and afterwards the prices had all changed so we had to look around again. Then there’s getting the funding and permission for any works sorted, which also takes a long time.”

(Image: Hermione Morris)

A contract with Grosvenor Construction was signed back in March after it was confirmed that the Welsh Government would fund nearly half of the £53,000 cost of the project through its Community Facilities Programme.

The Welsh Government funding, together with grants from The Friends of St Myllin’s, The Church in Wales, Church Field Trust Buckley, The Benefact Trust, Llanfyllin Town Council and local donations, allowed the church to raise the necessary funds for work to get underway after years of planning.

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Rev. Morris added: “Friends of St Myllin’s, led by their chairman Keith Blacker, have done so much of the hard graft on getting this project off the ground and deserve so much thanks for continuing to push for a more accessible church.

“They’ve spent years speaking to architects, seeking grants and raising funds. They did so much to make it a reality and without them it simply would not be happening.”

Visitors to the church are asked to be careful while works on the front entrance are underway and reminded that access for services and coffee mornings is through the rear door for the time being.