A five-hundred pound grant has been awarded to St James Chapel from the Okehampton United Ecclesiastical Charity.

A ceremony to celebrate the grant took place outside the chapel in the centre of Okehampton on Wednesday, November 13 with the mayor and church board members in attendance.

Mayor Allenton Fisher said: “I have a seat in St James Chapel and we’re very keen to continue the upkeep.

“Not enough people come into the church so they don’t realise how lucky they are to have such a historic building in this town.”

George Maddaford, trustee of St James Chapel, said: “Everybody’s very fond of the chapel but it needs a bit of looking after. I’ve been a trustee for 44 years and the church serves the town well.”