A SMALL Essex church has pulled out all the stops as it completes a more than £14,000 restoration project.

The United Reformed Church in Chappel is one of the smallest churches in the county with a capacity of about 50 people.

Its capacity was further reduced by the lockdown as, due to social distancing, it can now only seat 19 churchgoers.

However, the church is still happy after it finally completed the restoration of its 170-year-old pipe organ.

The church’s secretary and organist Anthony Percival led a fundraising campaign to pay for the restoration.

Overall, the organ cost £14.700 to restore.

The church launched a restoration appeal in May last year to try to raise £10,000.

As of June, the appeal had raised a whopping £11,600.

Now the organ has been broken down and put back together, services have started once again at the church with the organ playing.