A COMMUNITY came together to spruce up the front and back garden of its Methodist church in Weymouth.

Church members and local people helped tidy up the two gardens at Westham Methodist Church on Newstead Road.

Around 18 volunteers spent two days clearing the undergrowth and the litter which had accumulated over the years.

Drains were cleared of rubbish and leaves, weeds were removed, compost and plants were added to the front flowerbed and the front doors and windows were sanded and painted.

Tracey Winder, member of the church’s management committee, said the project had been an ‘amazing success’.

She said: “The back garden was so derelict and I cannot describe how many years of weeds were there.

“It was also unsafe and with all sorts of brambles and litter, you just couldn’t get into it. When we went out there it looked really small but now it looks massive.

“We had our summer fair and we were able to serve cream teas, lunch and cakes in the back garden when we could never have done that before.”

She added: “It was a lot of hard work but we will all benefit from this. We all had a great time and are thrilled by the response from volunteers.

“I’d like to say thank you to everyone who helped and made the use of the space possible.”

Westham Methodist Church received £100 from Morrisons through the Community Service Volunteers (CSV) organisation to fund the project.

It was part of a campaign called CSV Action Earth which supports projects that are of an immediate and lasting benefit to the environment.

Mark Harrison, Morrisons’ store operations director, said: “We are delighted to have helped kick-start such a worthwhile project.

“We are thrilled that our sponsorship of Action Earth has helped Westham Methodist Church improve their local environment.”

The congregation of Westham Methodist Church moved to Weymouth Bay Methodist Church last year and the church in Newstead Road is now used for community functions including crafts, a fun club for children and a badminton club.