‘Before the pandemic we would have around 300 worshippers on a Sunday,’ said Rev Travers. ‘Since then we’ve seen some of our older friends reluctant to return in person, so the ability for them to follow online has been wonderful.

 

‘But we have also attracted a large number of new people who have seen our services on the internet and have now started attending in person. We’ve also been running online weekly courses – Alpha, Bible, Prayer, and so on – with some 40 people logging on to join in, and that has also boosted the congregation.

 

‘We’re a real multicultural church, so we’ve had people from as far afield as India and Nigeria “attending” services – and able to join in baptisms, weddings and funerals, involving their family members who are also part of our congregation. This is something they couldn’t have done if the pandemic hadn’t happened, so in that sense it was something of a blessing.

 

‘Our motto is O for Outward looking, B for Biblically-taught, and C for Contemporary and Relevant, so it very much fits in with our ethos.’

 

The Rev Travers said the church was ‘absolutely delighted and excited’ to be one of the regional winners.

 

‘The people who work on our technology have already earmarked the prize to use on new cameras which can pick up better detail,’ he said.