The people of Chirk were given an insight into the workings of St Mary's Church as part of their 500-year anniversary celebrations.

Across Saturday, visitors were given tours of the grounds, including the beautifully-kept cemetery, as well as listening to the church's organ playing and demonstrations from the bell ringers, with some even enjoying a hands-on experience.

Shirley Short, a warden at the church, said the day went really well and was delighted to see so many people in Chirk taking pride in St Mary's.

"It's been really good – the karaoke choir in the morning was really enjoyable and plenty of people enjoyed it," she said.

"There were a lot of people who came from the town.

"We've had huge interest in the church and even only after an hour of the open day, we had more than 30 people in and I think the day would have ended with more than 50 people coming in.

"It's great to see that so many people came on the day and it shows that they have an interest in St Mary's.

"We've had young families coming in too, to see the church and the bell ringing, and the tours around the cemetery were popular too.

Organist Michael Wall played for the visitors as they toured around the church.

"I started out playing the piano but then moved onto the organ when I was 15," he said.

"I really enjoy it and I look forward to each week of playing at the church each week – it's a lot of fun."

There was also enough for youngsters to do, with drawings, refreshments and some were even able to test their dexterity with a jenga competition.