A NEW church has finally opened its doors in Bournemouth town centre seven years after construction began.

Lansdowne Church marked its return to Lansdowne Road in the new building with a special series of community events.

Gaynor Brown, head of local mission, said: “We had all kinds of people coming in to explore the new building. It was wonderful to meet them and show them round.

"It’s very different to what we had before. It’s light and airy, with excellent facilities for our own needs and the wider community’s.

"We want to serve others well through this building.

"For us, it’s much more than just bricks and mortar but about living out the love and generosity of Jesus with others.”

The new building has the latest in audio-visual technology, a 650-seat auditorium, modern kitchen, café, sports hall and roof terrace.

At the building's entrance, 139 Purbeck stones have been grafted into the wall, representing the number of years the old church building stood in its place.

In his Sunday morning address to the congregation on September 12, senior minister Peter Baker said: “This is a building for children; for the generations of toddlers and teens to come.

It is a [strategic location] for UK and international students. It’s a building for the thousands who live, shop, and work nearby but above all, it’s a building for the worship of God.”

Construction began in 2014 with plans to return after 18 months. But works stalled after problems developed with the building’s roof.

Pastor Baker described the past few years as “a community waiting and wandering, longer than expected, without a permanent home and using various buildings to gather together on Sundays and mid-week.”

He said: “Along the journey, however, we have learned the lessons that church is people, not the building.”