Work has started on an Aberdeenshire church that has been 22 years in the making.
The Balmedie Congregational Church is on course to open this summer after the first turf was cut at the Rowan Drive site.
Local supporters joined builders for the ceremony, marking a milestone for the congregation which has held services in the village’s leisure centre for more than two decades as it struggled to win approval for the scheme.
Reverend Andy Cowie said it was “a day of great excitement” for his flock – and the wider community.
The group raised £45,000 for the church, which will have space for about 50 people and be available for locals to use.
Builder Jim Still joined treasurer Catherine Cassie to sink their spades into the soil at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Mr Still, whose firm JCS Construction Services is carrying out the work, is fulfilling a lifelong ambition with the project – having dreamed of building a church his whole life.
Former Merchant Navy officer and police sergeant, Mr Cowie, 66, said: “I think it was a day of great excitement for folk, including folk from the village itself, to be getting the church up and built.
“I am pleasantly surprised at the support we are getting from different folks, there has been an incredible amount of people coming and offering to do things free of charge recently.
“We are overwhelmed by the support from the community groups. To quote the bible ‘young men have visions, old men have dreams’ – it started out as a vision and now it is a dream come true.”
He added that the congregation’s aim was for the congregation’s building to be available for the wider population of Balmedie.
Mr Cowie, of Bridge of Don, added: “That permanent building in the village is important because it allows us to be able to respond to needs in the community.”