Visitors to St John the Baptist Church in Royston are invited to add a flower to the church gates to remember those who have been affected by COVID-19 over the past year.

The church is inviting people to leave flowers at the gates from Saturday, April 3 to Easter Monday on April 5.

As well as offering an opportunity to remember loved ones who have died, the flowers are intended to represent Easter and give thanks for the hope of new life ahead.

The church plans to place greenery through the gates first, which will enable people to thread their flowers through more easily.

Over Christmas, the church invited people to tie ribbons to the gate, in lieu of their usual tradition of hanging a bauble on the church Christmas tree, which has not been possible since the church was devastated by a fire in 2018.

The full cost of the restoration and refurbishment is well over £1 million, some of which will be covered by insurance.