A community has come together to celebrate the completion of a decade-long church building project. 

Over 250 people joined Waltham Forest mayor councillor Terry Wheeler and Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy on Saturday afternoon for the opening of The Hub at Winchester Road Methodist Church in Highams Park. 

The £600,000 project had been in the pipeline since the mid 2000s but only came to fruition after planning was secured in February 2012 and the required funds had been raised in late 2013. 

Linking the original Edwardian Church and 1950s community hall, The Hub is designed to make the church and the various rooms more accessible to visitors and members. 

Reverend Hilary Cheng thanked the architects, contractors, fundraisers and donors for bringing the new building to life. 

She said: "We are delighted that so many people were able to join us to help celebrate the opening of The Hub.  

"We had old friends of the church visiting after many years away and lots of new people visiting for the first time.  

"The Hub is a great new space for the church and we are really excited by all the new things this will enable us to do for the church and the community."

It was formally opened by children and young members of the church who together cut the red ribbon with Mayor Wheeler and Reverend Femi Cole-Njie, Superintendent Minister of the Forest Methodist Circuit.