A ramp made of Bermuda cedar has been installed at a historic church to make life easier for disabled people.

The Friends of St Peter’s Church, in St George, said the ramp to the vestry was opened last Sunday.

A spokeswoman added: “The ramp was a project of The Friends of St Peter’s Church and continues their objective of making the 400 year-old church property available to all.”

The Reverend Tom Slawson, the parish priest, explained the entrance to the vestry had only one small step, but it had been enough to restrict access for people with mobility problems.

Mr Slawson said: “We have a lot of historical information in that room for people to see and read and we want people to have access to it.

“We tried out the ramp for the first time on Sunday – a member of our congregation, Betty Smith, came to church and she tried it and it works beautifully.

“Even though we have such an old, historic building, it is now a lot more accessible than it used to be.”

He highlighted last year’s installation of an accessible pathway leading into the historic slave graveyard next to the church.

Rev Slawson added the change would not only help members of the congregation, but also visitors to the historic church.

He said: “Like everyone else, we don’t have the number of visitors that we used to right now, but they will be able to get around better when they do start to come back.”

The ramp was constructed and installed by Ian Birch and Heather Kromer.