A CHURCH community is breathing a sigh of relief after delayed repair work on their historic place of worship has finally been completed.

Holy Trinity Parish Church in Weymouth, which has undergone urgent repair work, will hold a grand re-opening on Sunday, February 19 with a full sung Eucharist.

The Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Revd Stephen Lake, will be taking the service at 10am.

The church, which is next to Weymouth Town Bridge, has spent months shrouded in scaffolding.

Now the scaffolding is finally being dismantled and the big clean up begins ahead of the grand re-opening. 

Urgent repair work was carried out on the main west window above the entrance to Holy Trinity and the warrior window.

For those who attend the harbourside church, it has been a long and arduous path back to normality.

Building work - which began in September 2021 - was held up in December 2021 due to the church not having the current permissions from the Diocesan Church Council (DAC).

Church warden Trudi Shaw worked tirelessly to get the information and assurance needed that would satisfy the DAC so that they would agree that the building work could restart.

She said: "The building work restarted towards the end of last year, where the stone mason came in and repaired all the broken and eroded masonry.

"2023 began with the fantastic glaziers putting the stained-glass windowpanes which they had painstakingly restored for us."

Ms Shaw said the many months of upheaval have been an 'uncreditable challenging time' for the community.

She added: "It will be a time of great joy and pleasure to welcome Bishop Stephen and to open our doors again to the community.

"Please come and join us to celebrate this wonderful event

"We give our sincere and heartfelt thanks and praise to Robert and Russell of David R Whites builders who have been so supportive during this uncreditable challenging time for us.

"We could not have achieved this historic moment if it had not been for them, their professionalism, patience and kindness."