THE legacy of a Littlemore woman will live on a decade after her death after keys to new flats for the homeless were handed over.

Edith Kempson House will provide temporary accommodation for men and women who are trying to rebuild their lives.

Work on the £1.25m building, which replaced a 200-year-old chapel in Chapel Lane, finished this month and on Friday builders handed over the keys.

Miss Kempson lived in the same cottage in Oxford Road, Littlemore, for more than a century.

The former Sunday school teacher always backed the plan to replace the 200-year-old Littlemore Baptist Chapel with eight self contained one bedroom flats and a meeting room.

She died in 1999 aged 104 and left £5,000 in her will towards the project.

People are expected to move in over the next few weeks.

Baptist church minister the Rev Andrew Bevan said the development would make a positive contribution to the village.

He said: “The church had a strong sense it wanted to give something to the community and help the community.

“This is a step on the road for them to get homeless people back on to a more stable situation.

“The development has rejuvenated the area and brought the community together.”

The building has been re-developed by Oxford City Council in collaboration with Riverside English Churches Housing Group.

The communal facilities including a kitchen will be used by the chapel’s congregation.

Residents in the flats will benefit from support workers who will be on hand to offer help and advice.

Church member Christine Treadwell, who lives in Newman Road, Littlemore, remembers the chapel as a girl.

She said: “We are thrilled.”