More Than Bricks is a new community-inspired church campaign in Linthwaite to restore and renew the church to better serve the local community – and not just on Sundays.
A Big Lottery Award 4 All led to a local research project that identified the need to create a warmer, more welcoming space within the church with meeting rooms, a new kitchen and toilet areas – and architects began to draw up plans estimated at around £500,000.
But they also identified the need to do urgent remedial work before the reordering can take place – and this is going to cost £85,000. The building – Grade II Listed was built in 1827 and has suffered over the years from the weather – it now needs extensive repairs to the windows in the nave, pictured left, which are very badly corroded.
So the church launched More than Bricks and set up a give.net fundraising page just before Christmas to try and raise the money needed and are appealing to anyone – past and present – with a connection to the church to help them restore and develop Christ Church on Church Lane for future generations and community use.
A special fundraising weekend for More Than Bricks will be held over April 29 and 30 with a spring fayre, music and displays and the Bishop of Huddersfield, the Rt Revd Jonathan Gibbs will preside at the Sunday morning service.
The vicar, Fr Paul Witts said: “More Than Bricks presents us with both a challenge and a great opportunity for all who value the past to demonstrate our sense of responsibility for all we have inherited.
“It is an enterprise for the whole Linthwaite community to get behind and make the church building into a viable, inclusive, accessible and welcoming church for this and for future generation.” Fr Paul Witts, parish priest