A town church celebrated its 150th anniversary with a choral evening.

St Stephen's Parish Church, in Willington, was consecrated on June 7, 1857, and several events have already taken place throughout the year to celebrate the milestone.

The church was enlarged in 1869 and 1873 to accommodate the increasing number of worshippers and its popularity continues today.

It was dedicated to St Stephen who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was the first Christian martyr.

St Stephen was one of seven men said to have worked great wonders and miracles, but religious leaders thought his views were blasphemous and stoned him to death.

An icon of St Stephen hangs above the votive candles in the church.

Church warden Kenneth Wilson said: "It is great to be able to celebrate the 150th anniversary.

"I have been warden here for 11 years. It can be a tough job, but I enjoy it.

"We have already had a few days of community activities, which included stalls and bouncy castles, and had a choral evening last night to further celebrate the milestone.

"On behalf of St Stephen's, I would like to thank all who have helped in any way to make the celebrations memorable."

The mock-Gothic church is a grade II-listed building and houses a set of five steel bells, which were recast and re-hung in 1904 and are one of only six such sets in the country.

The church remains a focal point of village life and holds weekly services, including a Thursday evening Mass and a Sunday morning service and evensong.

It is also used frequently for weddings, funerals, baptisms and christenings.

Trisha Burrows, 68, has lived in Willington since she was a teenager and is proud of her local church.

She said: "It's a beautiful looking church and I am very attached to it because I first came here as a youngster.

"It looks very pretty when you are driving into Willington and it is just as attractive on the inside as it is on the outside.

"I think most people here are quite proud of it and it's still used a lot by people from here.