A team searching for beautiful views in Essex came to Saffron Walden and climbed up St Mary’s Church over theNew Year.

The Visit Essex team, as part of the Live Local Love Local campaign, is touring around the county to find the tallest places with the best views.

They hope it will show everybody how beautiful Essex is, getting rid of any biases they might have.

St Mary’s is the largest church in Essex and the spire is 193 feet tall, 74 steps up.

Climbers were church warden Steve Hasler, marketing and PR manager at Visit Essex Carol Jolly, tourism officer Correne Allcorn, Tourist Information Centre manager Marke Starte, and two photographers.

Carol Jolly said: “What a wonderful way to start the new year.

“Being on top of St Mary’s was a privilege only open to very few individuals, and we were very lucky to be invited.”

The next stop is Southend-on-Sea in February.