Funding from a national grant will make it possible for All Saints' Little Bealings to support local people in new ways.

A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant is being put towards the installation of a kitchen, which the church believes will enhance its work in its isolated and rural community.

Helen Clarkson-Fieldsend, who has been overseeing the restoration project on behalf of the church, said: "This grant will make a world of difference to our church and to our community.

"The kitchen will help us stabilise the church finances, serve as a gathering place to reduce rural isolation and loneliness, and provide physical and spiritual nourishment for our parishioners and visitors.

"We are delighted that the National Churches Trust is helping us realise our goal of ensuring our church will survive and remain at the heart of the village for many generations to follow."

A total of 47 churches and chapels in the UK will benefit from this latest round of grants, with £473,000 awarded across the country.

All Saints' Little Bealings was built at the end of the 13th century, although there is some evidence that the church building dates back even earlier, to the early 10th century.