A former Moderator of the General Assembly has officially re-dedicated a church in Perth which has undergone a £875,000 transformation.

The Very Rev Dr Angus Morrison said what had been achieved at St Matthew's Parish Church over the last 12 months was ‘remarkable’ and that it was a ‘great privilege’ to rededicate the building.

More than 280 people attended a special service to celebrate the end of the refurbishment programme – one that local minister the Rev Scott Burton, a former plasterer, and members of the congregation took part in.

Mr Burton said he was confident that the church, which was refurbished inside and out, had a bright future and hoped it would become a first class community hub in Perth.

The upgrade project was first approved by the Kirk Session and congregation in 2010, and endorsed by Perth Presbytery in November 2013. It involved taking out the pews and replacing them with chairs, installing external disabled access, a café and lounge, an audio system and a flexible stage area.

Glass doors allow the church’s stained glass to be viewed from the street, while the First World War colours of the Black Watch Regiment, which hang in the main church, are now illuminated.

Stained glass has been conserved, new foundations laid, cracks filled and the roof and spire repaired.

Speaking to the Dundee Courier, Mr Burton said: “The aim is to see the church utilised by any number of bodies and groups in the city as it is now a first class facility.

“A team of just four people has worked to secure money from funds all across the UK, have organised fundraising events and encouraged the congregation to give generously.

“It has been successful in that we have realised the majority of the vision we set out at the very beginning.

“There have been several fraught meetings to see where we could cut back, reducing the budget from £965,000 to £875,000, but we will complete this with no debt and no surplus.

“They have sustained this building for the future through a combination of hard work, planning, fundraising, physical labour and prayer and I will eternally grateful to everyone involved.

“I could not be more proud of what has been achieved.”

Dr Morrison, who rededicated the building in the absence of the current Moderator, who had a prior engagement in London, said: “What has been achieved is remarkable. It is a wonderful example of a church being made fit for purpose in forwarding the mission of the church in the 21st century.

“I admire the vision, courage, prayer, and sheer hard work, on the part of many people, in bringing the project to a happy, debt-free completion.

“I know that Scott with his Kirk Session and congregation are eager for the building to be fully used as a place of welcome, worship and outreach in this central part of Perth.

“The goodwill and prayers of many go with them as they enter on this exciting new chapter of their life as a congregation.”

Constructed in 1871 on the banks of the Tay, the church was originally dedicated by the Very Rev Dr Thomas Guthrie, former moderator of the Free Church and founder of the ‘ragged’ schools. The congregation was founded from a union in 1965 with Perth West and Middle Churches, and has a long association with the Black Watch.