A church group will celebrate the official opening of its new 200-seater auditorium with a special Christmas carol service.

Hope Community Church had been based in Wymondham High School for eight years but a move to their own building was needed because of the expanding community.

Tomorrow at 4pm an opening ceremony with carol singing will take place at the church's new Hub base at Ayton Road.

The opening of the new auditorium, a community charity project called the Hub, marks the second stage of the church's expansion.

It has seen the conversion of a former vehicle workshop into a 200-seater auditorium for large meetings and church services, with a mezzanine gallery and community room which will be used mainly but not exclusively for youth activities.

The work took six months to complete.

It will be officially opened tomorrow by Wymondham mayor Joe Mooney.

The first stage of the project saw Hope Community Church set up home in Ayton Road after taking on a long term lease on industrial premises.

Overall the cost of the project has been £840,000 with 75pc of funds coming from church members with a further possible expansion planned.

A spokesman for the church said: 'The auditorium space and community rooms will be used by Hope Community Church and Hub Community Project to house their growing number of members and activities as well as being available for hire by local community organisations.

'The continued growth in the church and the community work means that we are already looking at further development in a phase three which would enable the creation for a 500-seater auditorium.'

Are you organising an event in the Wymmondham area? Email anthony.carroll@archant.co.uk