A prayer space has been created in the grounds of a Cockermouth church.

A wooden arbour is the focal point of an outdoor place for prayer and contemplation at Lorton Street Methodist Church.

Rev Sue Edwards, who led a short service to dedicate the space, said: "A lot of people are apprehensive about coming into a church so I thought it would be nice to have somewhere that people could sit in the grounds.

"It looks great."

People are able to write down prayer requests and put them in a secure box to be collected by Rev Edwards.

The church music group staged a concert last year to raise funds for the arbour. The ground was then prepared and the structure assembled by the husbands of two church members, Colin McKay and Chris Albon.

Chris's wife Audrey is a worship leader and member of the church music group.

"Lots of community groups use the church, including the nursery, exercise classes, Guides and Brownies," said Mrs Albon.

"The hope is that people will be able to use this, when they're dropping children off or perhaps waiting to pick up, or simply as a place to rest. It's accessible and available to all."