Members of Ashington's Parish Church 'celebrated' the start of their church's building programme this weekend by dismantling the interior in preparation for the builders arriving on Monday 21 September.

After months of planning and waiting for approval from various regulatory bodies, building work begins this week and is expected to last for approximately six months.

The church - which is now officially a 'building site' - still had to be emptied of its remaining pews, storage cupboards and any wooden flooring which could be salvaged. Throughout the day on Saturday, members of Ashington church worked together to empty the building, with any remaining pews being delivered to their buyers.

Chris Maclay, the Vicar at Ashington Church says,

"There is no doubt that we are all delighted that work has started at last. We are all looking forward to returning next year into a building that will be wonderfully welcoming to all in Ashington.

"Throughout the building work we will continue to meet on Sunday mornings at the Ashington Community Centre, unless otherwise advised. Any information on our church services throughout the winter, the Y course due to begin this week and other Church based activities can be found in the Calendar pages of this website.

"In addition we'll be posting regular updates on the progress of the building works so log on regularly to see how your church building is developing."