LUDLOW St Laurence’s Church is able to give visitors an especially warm welcome this Christmas.

New boilers have been installed at the historic church, just in the time for its busiest season.

November to January sees more than 12,000 visitors and a further 4,500 people coming to services.

Record numbers attended this year’s Remembrance Day service, where they were treated to a literally warm welcome.

Grange Heating of Leominster worked around the clock in the weeks before Remembrance Day to install three highly efficient gas boilers.

Eventually the heating will be provided with biomass heating with gas as a standby.

St Laurence's is the 13th most popular free visitor attraction in the West Midlands and preparations are underway for Advent and Christmas.

Three thousand people came to the recent Christmas Bazaar and a further 3,500 will attend carol services over the next five weeks.

The staff are working hard to get ready for this and preparations include 4,000 candles and 2,000 orders of service.

The choir will sing more than 60 carols in the next five weeks.

“It costs around £500 per day to run this church, we don't receive any state or church subsidy, everything comes from the thousands of people who visit and worship throughout the year for which we are so thankful,” said Colin Williams, rector of Ludlow.

“More than a hundred volunteers help us keep this building open for visitors and the townsfolk to enjoy.”