SATURDAY 14 May gives the people of Whaley Bridge the chance to see the refurbished Uniting Church – just re-opened after a quarter of a million pound project – and also to hear from many community groups about their activities and dreams for the future.
From 10am-4pm, the community open day will allow people to see the improvements to the church, which sits at the centre of Whaley Bridge. Over the years it has become more and more a community centre, with 28 church and community organisations using the building
Minister the Rev Michael Peat said: ” This is a way for the church to show its appreciation to donors and the local community for their support and patience during the months of disruption caused by building work.”
From 10am -4pm, the programme includes:
- displays sharing information from a range of local community groups and clubs , explaining how others can become involved
- an exhibition of photographs showing the history and development of the church building.
- hot drinks, cakes, cream teas, and a bap lunch served in café-style surroundings
- entertainment performed by musicians from the church
- a talk about the Whaley Water Weekend in June by chairman Barry Rudd (scheduled for 2.30pm)
Mr Peat said: “The Uniting Church is grateful to the Whaley Bridge Association (WBA) for providing funds from their recently received Big Lottery Awards for All grant, which is helping to meet the costs of promoting this community event.”
The funding was awarded to the WBA to help build the capacity of community and voluntary sector groups across Whaley Bridge and Furness Vale. Funds have already been allocated to support various activities, including social media workshops in partnership with the Whaley Bridge Community Trust at Footsteps, Furness Vale Field Day (Saturday 21 May) and the Whaley Water Weekend (11 and 12 June).
The Whaley Bridge Association says money and resources are still available for local groups to set up their own activities. For more information contact WBA chairman Sam Gray at s.gray@mmu.ac.uk