A church which has been shut for nearly a year is set to re-open this June.

Leavesden All Saints, Horseshoe Lane, Leavesden was closed around Easter last year after plaster began falling from the ceiling and the building was deemed by the church wardens as unsafe to hold congregations.

However, the Leavesden church is expecting to re-open in early June after a new roof was installed by Bakers and Danbury Ltd.

Donations from members of the congregation, local residents and a "substantial" grant from English Heritage financed the building of the new roof, which began on 14 October.

All Saints also received a £40,000 loan from The Church of England finance board and this allowed the church to continue paying its bills while the work was being completed.

Peter Dawson, church warden at the Horseshoe Lane church has praised the new roof now that the protective roof installed during the construction process has been taken down.

He said: "We are very excited now that they taken the lid down and started to take the scaffolding down. The roof looks absolutely fantastic."

The warden added: "The community has been exceptionally supportive."

The church, which was designed by Gothic architect, Gilbert Scott, needed nearly a quarter of a million pounds to replace the 160 year-old roof.

Father Edward Green, who took up his post as the new vicar at the Leavesden church at Christmas said: "The roof is on. The roof is looking fantastic."

Renovation work inside the church is now taking place and is expected to take six weeks to complete.

Peter Dawson praised the work being done inside the church.

He said: "Internally, which is being redecorated, has six weeks work left...The marble beams have been renovated and it is starting to look fantastic."

The church will be hosting a series of events to celebrate their re-opening, with a flower show being held on 27 June and will run through to 29 June. The church will be officially reopened on 20 July by the Rt. Revd. Paul Bayes, Bishop of Hertford.