A glossy new guide to one of the Lune Valley's most historic churches has been published to help mark the Millennium.

The Friends of St Mary's Church, Kirkby Lonsdale, decided to celebrate the turn of the century by raising funds to produce a revised guide to the church, to replace the existing booklet which was 50 years old.

Rev Canon Graham Bettridge said: "Things have changed a lot in those 50 years and to reflect those changes the Friends of St Mary's decided as their Millennium gift to the church, they would raise money and produce a new guidebook."

Three thousand copies of the revised guide have been published, and will be distributed to shops in the town, the tourist information centre, as available in the church.

The guide traces the history of the church through the centuries since its adoption in 1240 through to more recent times, with colour photographs on every page.

It highlights the many architectural points of interest, from the 12th century Norman columns, 13th century pointed Gothic arches in the nave, and the North Aisle added in Tudor times.