WORK to repair a pathway to a well-used community church hall has been carried out to improve access.

The entrance of Medomsley Methodist Church and its adjacent hall, which sit on Fines Road in the village, had become affected by an increasing number of potholes and other uneven areas, making it difficult for older people and those with mobility issues.

A £3,000 grant from Banks Mining has enabled the church committee to get 120 square metres of the affected area resurfaced.

The work has already resulted in an increase in numbers at the community events held in the hall.

The funding has been provided from the community benefits fund linked to Banks Mining’s nearby Bradley surface mine, which aims to use revenues generated at the site to support capital projects being undertaken by local charities and good causes.

Winston Ridley, property secretary at Medomsley Methodist Church, said: “Older people make up a significant proportion of the users at our hall, and even those who use mobility scooters were finding it challenging to negotiate the potholes on our driveway.

“The resurfacing work has made an exceptional impact. We’ve already seen numbers rising at our weekly coffee mornings and we think it will encourage more people to come along to functions and events that might previously have been put off by the state of the roadway.”

Medomsley Methodist Church hall hosts a wide variety of community organisations, including the local Girls’ Brigade, a mother and toddler group, carpet bowls club, a keep fit class and a memory cafe run by the dementia awareness group. A new book club has also recently been launched.

The Church also holds a coffee morning on the first and third Saturday mornings of each month, with the money raised at the third Saturday event going to charity.

A Methodist place of worship has stood on Fines Road since the 1870s, with the present church celebrating the 30th anniversary of its opening this year.