PEOPLE travelled from as far as Portsmouth and Essex this weekend to celebrate 100 years of worship on the site of the United Reformed Church in Nelson.

A two-hour-long Songs of Praise service, led by the Rev Sally Thomas, was held yesterday with one hymn sung for each decade, including God is Love for the 1920s, And Can It Be from the '40s and Take My Life from the '70s.

Each hymn was introduced by church member Elspeth Smith, who researched them.

The minister also gave a brief outline of the local and national events which occured in each decade, including who was reigning at the time, who was the local MP and the decline of the cotton industry. Church elder Ray Johnson said: "It was very interesting how it was done and apparently the church membership is the same now as it was 20 years ago. The church was full, with about 100 people.

"We are very grateful for a tremendous team effort which made it a success. There were a lot of people who used to come to the church and now live away and there were several generations of families.

"The only thing that is sad is that we don't have many young people and young families attending. It's a bit of a worry for the continuation of the church."

The event, attended by Mayor of Pendle Coun Colin Waite, also included readings and prayers.