Legacy of first female churchwarden at St Stephen's Margaret Fenemore helped towards revamp

Margaret Fenemore, who was also treasurer at St Stephen's, died in 2009 and left money in her will to the church she loved so much.

Now the bequest has helped to pay for work to spruce up the building's community area and to provide the £10,000 new west doors to St Stephen's Church.

The glass doors let more light into the community area and their installation is the culmination of many months of work.

Etched into the glass are images of needles, a kingfisher and the words "faith, hope, love and compassion" - to acknowledge Redditch's past industry, its present and hopes for the future.

"They give a real sense of the church and the town centre being connected," said church member Elaine Whitfield.

"Margaret was our treasurer for many years and a stalwart, having been the church's first female church warden.

"Her legacy, together with cash saved by the congregation, has helped to pay for the refurbishment work to be done - it's such a welcoming church and we hope this will help to make it even more part of the community."

The Rev Paul Lawlor, victor of St Stephen's and Redditch town centre chaplain, said: “Since coming to Redditch, five years ago, we have been working to make St Stephen’s a more warm and welcoming presence in our town centre.

"This is one small step on the way. We hope together we can go further and find more of God in our lives.

"Some new doors, a bit of paint and a nicer floor will not make much difference but we hope that the work to make the building of St Stephen’s more welcoming will help to bring us together to explore how we might love more, have compassion and find faith.

"So as you next dash past St Stephen’s Church, pause for a moment and reflect, consider our past, our present and how we can help deal with the current challenges and those of the future.

"Come inside as the sun sets and see how the words are, rather wonderfully, reflected across the internal walls and floor."