A DUNFERMLINE church has gone contactless in an effort to make it easier for people to donate.

St Margaret's RC Church had a payment machine installed recently which means parishioners – and visitors – can use their bank cards or mobile devices instead of digging deep for loose change.

Parish priest, Father Chris Heenan, said the new piece of equipment gave another option for those wanting to support the East Port place of worship.

"We started to speak about it maybe last year at the parish finance committee because we were seeing a kind of upturn in the numbers of people visiting the church," he told the Press.

"We were able to leave the church open during the day. We are right on the Fife Pilgrim's Way so quite a few people come in when they are visiting Dunfermline.

"We have had visitors from Germany, Hungary, America, coming for Mass in church because of the St Margaret's relic we have and a lot of people asked if they could make a donation.

"It seemed that would be a way forward to do that then of course this struck and it is the way the world is going so it is just another option for people.

"It is a way people are now feeling more comfortable with – I don't know the last time I had cash on me and most people are the same."

The contactless machine was put in place this week by Lanarkshire-based Sancta Familia Media, who have been installing similar equipment around Scotland in recent months.

Co-founder Brian Timmons said it was the first one they had installed in the West Fife area.

"We have been putting a few in," he said. "A lot of people don't carry cash on them, it is always just a card. This gives people the option and that is how this began."