A BASINGSTOKE church opened its doors last weekend to celebrate a milestone occasion.

All Saints’ Church, in Southern Road has marked 100 years since the church was dedicated on September 27, 1917.

One Wednesday a special service was held to commemorate the occasion, but the main celebration took place over the weekend of September 23 and 24.

The church doors were open and guests were welcomed in to see displays showing off the churches history. Also to mark the occasion the church bells rang non-stop for six hours throughout the day.

Reverend Rosalind Rutherford said: “We had people visit who have been coming to the church their whole lives as well as people who have never been inside the church.

“The really amazing thing we have found is people sharing their memories on our Facebook page.

“We’ve had people say they remember getting married there, or coming to christenings, it just shows what a huge part of the community the church has been.”

On Sunday, 24 September the Bishop of Basingstoke, Rt Rev David Williams led a communion service of thanksgiving for the past, in front of a congregation of more than 200 people, with a reception after where friends, old and new, both local and from a distance came together to reminisce about their memories of the church.

The church will remain open every day for the rest of the week to allow people to visit the ‘Flowers and Faith’ displays.

The centenary celebrations continue throughout the year, with the harvest festival taking place on Sunday, 1 October.

Visit basingstoketeamparish.org.uk/all-saints-church-basingstoke.