A NEW footpath through a historic south Oxfordshire churchyard has been opened.

The path at All Saints’ Church, Chilton, near Didcot, was officially opened on Sunday – All Saints’ Day.

The result of five years of fundraising by villagers and by the parochial church council, the path replaces a rough, stony surface and aims to make the church and churchyard more accessible, especially for parents with buggies or the elderly.

In total, the new path, bounded by a resin border, cost £16,000.

Rosemary Rolls, 82, pictured above, who has lived in Chilton and attended the church for 50 years, was helped by two-year-old Milly Corbishley to cut the ribbon on the new, wider path.

The Rev Dr Jonathan Mobey, rector of St Matthew’s Harwell and All Saints’ Chilton, said: “The church has been a focus for the community for hundreds of years.

“We want to make the building more accessible.”

The oldest part of All Saints’ dates back to 1160.