More than 80 candles helped brighten the isolated 926-year-old St Thomas the Apostle church at Harty for the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s visit to the Isle of Sheppey on Saturday night.

He led a traditional Easter Vigil on Easter Eve and lit the church’s giant Pascal candle. The Rev Chris Shipley, vicar of Eastchurch and Harty, said: “There were more than 100 people at the service. The church was overflowing and the Archbishop was on sparkling form.”

Church warden Sue Hopper, who had the job of lighting all the candles and firing up the oil lights and heaters at the church which has no electricity or gas, said: “The Archbishop was very unassuming and spoke in simple language which everyone could understand.”

The Archbishop was accompanied by members of the Community of St Anselm who are based at Lambeth Palace but who were staying with residents in different parts of Sheppey and Sittingbourne Deanery during his Holy Week visit.

The following day during his Easter sermon at Canterbury Cathedral the Archbishop gave the Island a name-check. He said: “Last night at Harty church on the tip of Sheppey, with the wind howling, lit by candles, warmed by one another, we celebrated the light of Christ that, full of joy and hope, we carry into a world of fear and darkness.”

The last time an Archbishop visited Harty church it was by Archbishop Runcie for its 900 anniversary in 1985.

Archbishop Welby also went on patrol with the Island’s street pastors in Sheerness on Friday night and took part in a bereavement meeting at JD Wetherspoon’s Belle and Lion pub.