Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, made the call for a new church building in Hampton during a visit to the township to mark the 900th anniversary of the diocese of Ely, of which Hampton is a part.

Despite the first houses being finished in the late 1990s, and having a church congregation and a vicar, Hampton still does not have a church building.

The congregation of Christ the Servant King church hold their Sunday services in a small room in Hampton Vale Primary School at 10am every week.

During his visit on Friday, Dr Sentamu spoke to school children at Hampton College and Hampton Vale Primary School, and answered their questions, before meeting township vicar Rev Nick Devenish to discuss matters including building the new church in the township.

Dr Sentamu said: "Every community needs a home. Without a home you have nowhere to be hospitable. I hope you will soon build a home, a church, a place for this community in Hampton Vale.

"Make sure it is for everyone so it can be used for all kinds of activities. It takes more than a building to make a community. You need people to gather to build trust, to build respect and to build gentleness."

Rev Devenish who has previously called for a new church building or community centre to be built in the township, said: "It is of paramount inportance that Hampton gets a building for the community, for everyone to use. Having someone of the importance of Dr Sentamu calling for the building is a real boost for us, and he the words he said were very inspirational. They are something we will keep close to our hearts as we move forward.

"I know he has faced a similar problem in his ministry before, and he was able to empathise with us which made his words even more special."

A celebration of 900 years of the diocese was held at Ely Cathedral over the weekend.