A CHURCH in Worcester is to become a "sensory space" for the arts thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

Visitors have an opportunity to see for themselves plans to transform St Swithun’s Church in Worcester into a centre of culture.

The church in Church Street between the High Street and the Shambles is an elegant early Georgian building dating from 1734, with Tudor tower remains from a 15th century church located on the same spot.

A community open day is taking place at the church on Saturday, July 23 between 10.30am and 4pm.

The free event will feature stone carving workshops, storytelling, music and poetry as well as children’s activities and crafts.

A selection of homemade cakes and drinks will also be available from a Summer Tea Party stand.

The Churches Conservation Trust - the national heritage charity that cares for St Swithun’s Church – secured a development grant of £196,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) at the beginning of 2015 to develop the project to transform the church into a city centre space for art and sound.

The project, run in partnership with the Friends of St Swithun’s, will also see the installation of new interactive visitor displays, improved facilities for events and extensive repairs to the roof of the Georgian church.

Isabel Assaly, regeneration manager at the Churches Conservation Trust, said: "Come along and let us show you the versatility and potential of this space."

Will Scott, chairman of the Friends of St Swithun's, said:

"If you haven’t been to St Swithun’s do take this opportunity to come and experience a range of activities that will show what’s possible in this unique space in the heart of the city."

Vanessa Harbar, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands, said: "The project has successfully reached the halfway mark and thanks to National Lottery players, it will continue to engage the community in a programme of interactive events including displays, poetry and performance workshops in a new and improved church space."

The event is part of Church Tourism Week, a new initiative launched by the Churches Conservation Trust.

Church Tourism Week, a nationwide celebration of England’s historic churches, takes place from July 22 to 31.