The Bishop of Sherborne and the Mayor of Weymouth attended a full Evensong at an Upwey Church.

Music by John Rutter was accompanied by an augmented choir in the packed St Laurence Church.

David Bruce-Payne played the organ while his wife Sue conducted the choir.

One of the organisers Sally Pinhey said service was "glorious".

She said: "Karen Bishop, on her first visit to Upwey, blessed the new altar in the side chapel and gave an arresting and relevant sermon on the rich man entering the Kingdom of Heaven as easily as the camel through the eye of a needle, and related it to our daily values."

After the service, Mayor Kevin Brookes presented the parish with a cheque from the Mayors’ Christmas Fund for the church's ongoing amenities project.

churchwarden Paul Sutcliffe, who accepted the cheque on behalf of the church, said the disabled toilet facility and kitchenette would enable the church become a community asset.

For the past two years parishioners have been fundraising to build a toilet and other visitor amenities- an expensive task which requires expert equipment because of the proximity of graves.

It is hoped that the new amenities will enable the church to be used for more secular events and concerts for the wider community.

The church are now half way to raising the funds.