It was loo brushes at the ready to celebrate the news that St Thomas' Greetland & West Vale has been awarded £10,000 by the Big Lottery Fund and £5,000 by the Family and Social Welfare Trust for the refurbishment of the toilets in their Parish Hall.
Pictured here are toddlers from the BabySong group – just one of a number of wide ranging groups and organisations that use the Parish Hall set to benefit from the much needed overhaul..
Thanks to the Priest In Charge, the Revd Lesley Cheetham, and help and advice on how to apply for grants from the Diocesan team in the Leeds Office, it was the first time the church had applied for a grant - and despite the application format changing mid- way through their application – they did it!
Now they have enough money to refurbish two out of three toilets – the Ladies and the Disabled – the gents will have to wait a while longer.
'Our toilets (though clean!) have been a bit of an embarrassment,” said Lesley.
“ Especially as our biggest aim, as an outward looking church, is to show those who come to our church or church hall how welcome they are and make them comfortable.
“So we are very grateful that with the help we've been given we will have loos to be proud of, ” she added.
Work will begin on the new loos on Monday 9 April – and should take two weeks to complete.
Paul Buckley, a member of St Thomas’s and part of the grants team said: “This was our first try at applying for grants and we are somewhat amazed to have secured them.
“This is a real boost for church and local community, everyone we have told is delighted.”