A Ribble Valley church has officially opened its doors to the public after a six-year restoration project.

Dalehead Church, a former mortuary chapel in Gisburn Forest, near Slaidburn, has been transformed into a church, heritage and visitor centre.

The Bishop of Bradford, Rt Rev David James, spoke to the congregation for the opening and rededication ceremony of Daleshead Church.

It was almost a full house at the opening they were just one seat short of filling the 65 person seating space in the tiny church which is no more than 20ft by 30ft.

The Rev Mark Russell-Smith, Dalehead church project manager, said: "Even those who had heard about the church and had not seen it before were taken aback."

The mortuary chapel, originally known as St James' Church, was built when the village of Dalehead and its parish church were flooded in 1937 to make way for Stocks Reservoir.

More than 100 graves were transferred from the old church to the chapel on the east side of the reservoir.

Dalehead church is the only public building on that side of the reservoir.

Resident Alwyne Wallbank, whose father helped to build the original churchyard wall, said: "As we say in Lancashire, it was a right good do!"

The church will be open from 8am to dusk.