Scunthorpe's first purpose-built mosque opens

The new mosque in Scunthorpe opened on 17 June

More than 200 people have attended the opening of Scunthorpe's first purpose-built mosque.

Located in Cliff Closes Road, the Baitus-Salaam mosque - meaning House of Peace - was inaugurated on 17 June.

The occasion was marked by visits from religious leaders, local MPs and members of the armed forces.

Dr Adnan Muzaffar, from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Scunthorpe, said the mosque was "a great privilege and an honour".

More than 200 people attended the opening of the mosque

The site had been used as a place of worship since 2002 and in 2016 an application to demolish the former bungalow and build a new mosque was approved.

Work on the building, which can accommodate 250 worshippers and includes a community hall and library, began in 2018.

On Saturday guests joined His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to celebrate the opening.

Dr Muzaffar, external affairs, told the BBC: "To have the first purpose-build mosque in Scunthorpe is a great privilege and an honour.

"The main purpose of the mosque are one: to serve as collective worshipping area and two: where we can serve humanity at large."