Two Pints of Lager location transformed into Buddhist peace garden in Runcorn

ITV Granada Reports correspondent Tasha Kacheri was invited along to watch the ceremony.

A peace garden has been completed at a filming location made famous by a long-running TV comedy.

The Waterloo Hotel in Runcorn, Cheshire, was frequently shown as the pub in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and is now a Buddhist temple.

Now, the transformation of formerly derelict land adjoining the building has been completed for people in the local area.

Temple trustee Tony Collacott said: "The community of Runcorn have been very welcoming to us.

"We wanted to show something in return."

Special guests were invited to take part in the topping off ceremony of the garden, which has been designed for a short meditation walk.

A six metre-tall bronze statue, one of the biggest of its kind in the UK, is the centrepiece of the garden.

The Chedi, which enshrines relics and keeps the memory of the Buddha, was handcrafted over eight months by monks in Thailand.

The ceremony saw a Yod Chat placed at the top, which in Buddhism symbolises an umbrella casting a protective shadow onto the Earth.

The peace garden includes flower beds and rockeries and a stone plaque inviting people to sit and enjoy the area.

Buddhism charity Wat Phra Singh UK took over the pub building in 2013 and later received planning permission and funding to create a new hall and peace garden on the adjacent land.

The project was funded by Reconnecting Runcorn, which aims regenerate the local area and bring the community together.