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More than 140 people gathered in Blackwood this month to celebrate the 150th anniversary of St Margaret’s Church.

The Archbishop of Wales, Cherry Vann, joined congregation members, local community groups, and politicians for a special service to mark the church’s milestone.

The service featured a reading by local poet Clare Potter, who performed a specially commissioned piece for the event, alongside hymns selected by people with long-standing ties to the church.

The event capped off an open weekend on Saturday July 18 and Sunday July 19, where visitors toured the building, tried the church organ and bell, and viewed an exhibition of historical photographs and memorabilia.

The weekend also featured an exhibition celebrating the work of the late artist Rhys Hankins.

Church warden Ceri Hughes said: “To have all of the hymns chosen by people with a connection to the church made it that extra bit special — especially with one being chosen by my mother, Janie.”

St Margaret’s was established in 1876 as a chapel of ease to provide a convenient place of worship for the rapidly growing industrial population of Blackwood, which had been founded earlier in the 19th century by coal owner John Hodder Moggridge.

Several extensions were added to the building over the following decades as the town grew around it.