Lunch at the Savoy hotel for Pontefract church that reinvented itself for its people

LUNCH AT THE SAVOY FOR MARKET TOWN CHURCH THAT REINVENTED ITSELF

A market town church that underwent a million pound makeover to create a community church for God and His people, found itself rubbing shoulders with the great and the good of the design world when it was shortlisted for the prestigious RICS Awards.

For St Giles’ Pontefract was invited to lunch at the Savoy last month for the finals of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Design Awards.

And while they didn’t win – it was a coup for all the people of the small market town who helped turn the dream into reality.

The vicar, the Revd Canon Bob Cooper, is rightly proud.  “Architecturally, we wanted to create a Benedictine feel with a simplicity and a lightness, while spiritually we wanted a solid stone altar right here at the heart of everything we do better to reflect the Eucharistic community we are."

The vision was to create a church without walls, a church for the whole of the community and not just those who worship there, but welcoming to all, wherever they might be on their journey with God, as well as those who just want to come in light a candle or have a cup of coffee and sit and enjoy the building.

It has been almost 12 months since Bishop Tony Robinson placed the relics inside the stone altar, it was sealed by the stonemason and then oiled and blessed by the bishop in a blessing ceremony. The £1m project was funded by parish giving, donations and grants from WREN, BIFFA, the Coalfield Regeneration Scheme and the HLF. Now St Giles has bright community spaces, rooms for meeting and a café area. It has a Credit Union, weekly job clubs and other groups helping people back to work, a busy café, and mothers and toddlers and a slimmers’ group meet here. The rooms are used every day, they provide social contact and bring in income for the church.

And while it looks new and bright and airy, the re-ordering has been true to its heritage. They’ve uncovered, cleaned 14th century pillars that haven’t been seen since the Reformation. Bodies discovered from the Civil War have been reburied with a Requiem Mass. And for a town with little or no tourism, St Giles’ is now attracting upwards of 50,000 people.

“It’s a real success story,” said Fr Bob.

“Local people feel it’s their church and a great way to see that is by looking at our chairs. Every one of our 250 chairs has been sponsored by the townspeople and bears their name. Together, they tell a social history of Pontefract and they are wonderful to look at.

 “It feels like the community building in Pontefract. But at its heart is a place of worship. It is a building for God.

 “What we have done is bring together the old and the new and that says something important about the church being constant and the church moving on,” he added.

Bishop Tony rubs the oil over the altar which will form the beating heart of the reordered St Giles's church, Pontefract The stonemason puts the last piece of the altar in place after Bishop Tony has inserted the relics.