A PARISH church dogged by scandal and misfortune in recent years is on a mission to rebuild itself.

When Reverend Alex Pye arrived in place at St Cynllo's in September 2009 he was facing an uphill battle to keep the stricken church near Knighton open.

The combination of spiralling repair costs, falling congregation numbers, the loss of prominent church members and the imprisonment a year before of former vicar Richard Hart for child pornography and child sex assault, had all looked set to force the closure of the church in the village of Llangunllo.

Read the full story in this week's Brecon & Radnor Express - Out now!