Church-goers in Suffolk are now able to donate via contactless payment thanks to the introduction of new card readers.

Thirty churches across the county have successfully applied to a new £1.25million Church of England scheme, which will see them equipped with a Payaz Giving Station or CollecTin More machine.

Their introduction comes as the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, alongside the wider Church of England, looks to adapt to changing finance habits and make it easier to give generously.

Successful applicants received training and their contactless terminals in September.

Tom McKenny, parish secretary at the Church of St John the Baptist in Stoke-by-Clare, said: "I am very pleased to receive one of the contactless payment terminals for our church.

"Allowing people to donate in a way that is convenient for them is important for both us as a church and for our local community.

"Churches like us up and down the country have really missed our visitors during the Covid-19 pandemic and allowing them the opportunity to donate digitally is so important."