Walton in Somerset is a modestly-sized village. In recent years, the village has seen the closure of the post office and all its shops leaving villagers with no focal point in their day-to-day lives.
Several years ago, Holy Trinity Church started a weekly coffee morning in order to reach out to the most isolated in the community and provide an opportunity to socialise. This event grew, with the introduction of an "open market", where people could bring home-grown vegetables and home-made crafts for attendees to purchase.
As numbers have increased, so has the realisation that the current facilities were inadequate to cope with demand, with water brought into the church in jugs from the churchyard and no toilet facility on site at all.
The church knew that to keep villagers coming in and to expand the appeal of the church, adequate kitchen and toilet facilities were essential, as well as improved access for wheelchair users or baby buggies.
The result of extensive local fund-raising and grant applications is a fully-functional kitchenette and WC that compliments the grade II-listed church.
