Tens of thousands of pounds have been awarded to an Ilford church to make it accessible for wheelchair users.

Ilford Methodist Church, Ilford Lane has been given £35,200 to install a platform lift to help access to the church and church hall.

The grant will also fund refurbishing the hall’s toilets.

Lorna Brown, steward at the church, said: “This is great news for our project. The grant is very welcome and we look forward to working with the trust team to ensure our plans become real and benefit the people of Ilford.”

The money was awarded by The Veolia Environmental Trust.