A £2.5million community hub church has opened up in Glasgow as part of a £250million regeneration of the Sighthill area.

The Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland (CoS), welcomed hundreds of people to a special thanksgiving service at the St Rollox Church today, as the congregation celebrated the long-awaited opening.

It brings to an end a tumultuous period for the congregation, who were told five years ago they had to leave their old church in Fountainwell Road half a mile away.

It was subject to a compulsory purchase order by Glasgow City Council, which needed the land to build a new access road to Sighthill.

Rev Jane Howitt, minister, said: “We are hugely excited because our accessible new building is the first public space to open in the area.

“It is a very light and airy facility in the heart of a new and growing community, a place where everyone is welcome and can call home.”

The new building construction, described as a “real asset” to the community, was funded by the council and furnished by CoS.

The congregation, the majority of which were born outside the UK, have been meeting in temporary accommodation next to the new building since November last year.

Rev Sinclair said: “ As they start a new chapter in their story, my prayer is that those who have journeyed from many lands may find a home with those who have lived in Glasgow all their lives.”