Work started this week on a new glazed entrance vestibule and meeting lounge at Lansdowne Crescent Methodist Church in Malvern.

It will replace the existing entrance, which members say is dark and cold.

The lounge will include a disabled toilet and a coffee bar and be available to church users and community groups.

Several grants are helping fund the £100,000 project. The remainder of the money will come from fundraising events.

Church member Ernest Wakefield said: "We had a bit of a problem with the church entrance as the cold winds come in. It was also very dark.

"The new vestibule will keep the cold air out and the lounge can be used for various meetings and social occasions."

Mr Wakefield said the project had united the congregation.

Catherine Campbell-Hyde, superintendent minister of the Malvern and Ledbury Methodist Church circuit, said: "This project will extend the usefulness of the present buildings and add significantly to the outreach which the church can offer to the community."

The work is being carried out by Dawe, of Mathon, and should be finished by Easter.