Industry and Invention in Sowerby BridgeSee how pioneers William Greenup & James Walton revolutionized the process of cloth manufacture from “Fleece to Piece” on one site. Discover who really sold the first chewy toffee, & learn why steam engines built here powered the British Empire.More detail can be found here
On Sunday May 1st, Canon Angela announced her retirement. Her final service will be on Sunday 31st July at 4:30pm at Christ Church.Ordained Deacon, in 1996 by the Bishop of Wakefield, and Priest in 1997 Angela served as curate at Holy Nativity, Mixenden and Christ Church, Pellon before becoming Vicar at St. John’s Bradshaw and St. Andrew’s Holmfield. Prior to leaving Bradshaw and Holmfield Angela was made an Honorary canon of Wakefield Cathedral Angela was installed as Priest-in-charge of Christ Church, Sowerby Bridge by Bishop Tony Robinson in July 2010 and became Vicar a year later. Over the years Angela has served as chaplain to the Mothers’ Union, a member of the Diocesan Synod and Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands.Speaking of her retirement Angela has said “I have been privileged to serve in Calderdale for 26 years and have met some wonderful people along the way. It will be a real wrench to lay down parish ministry but I look forward to what the Lord has in store for me in the next stage of my journey.”Angela and her sister Susan will be moving into the Huddersfield area and we at Christ Church will miss them dearly.As a parish we will continue to pray for Angela and Susan.
The PCC of Christ Church, Sowerby Bridge has received £1668 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, to help mark the Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.Christ Church has received the funding from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards for All Programme, which provides almost £80 million of National Lottery funding to local projects across the UK every year. Christ Church’s Grade II listed building is a well-known landmark, providing a calm oasis at the centre of the Sowerby Bridge conservation area. Through the faith and witness of its members it aims to be a welcoming space on the high street for anyone to visit. It holds information on the history of the town, and provides opportunities to explore the Christian faith. It seeks to serve all those who live or work in the parish, enjoys good links with local schools and community groups, including being an active member of the Sowerby Bridge Heritage Action Zone Cultural Network. This new grant from the National Lottery Community Fund will help us mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and our own bi-centennial year, with a “Flower Festival of Hope”. The displays will reflect the Queen’s reign and her links to groups and events in Sowerby Bridge’s past, featuring art work from our local schools. It will showcase the talent in our community, using flowers, art and sculpture, at a time of restoration while new opportunities are being created in the action zone. Visit us at Wharf Street Sowerby Bridge. Admission is free, with a café offering cream teas and home baking available throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. Thursday 2nd June – Monday 6th JuneThur-Sat 10:00-15:00 Sun 12:00-15:00 Mon 10:00-12:00Rev Canon Angela Dick says “In the Bible, a Jubilee is an occasion to remind us that God created everything. This is why we have chosen a flower theme for our exhibition. Children from our local schools already visit the building with their teachers as part of enriching the basic curriculum. This grant will be used to explore what a Jubilee is, through free artist-led workshops, and we’d like to thank National Lottery players for their contributions to the cost of materials. We hope this event will encourage more people to visit their local parish church and be inspired by our community’s creativity.” June Harvey, Co-ordinator of Memory Lane Café Calderdale, congratulated Christ Church on receiving the grant, saying “Christ Church has helped several of our members improve their skills at their Digital Café, allowing them to keep in contact on line during lockdown. Technology is useful, but now we can meet in person again, everyone is looking forward to visiting the church to see the displays. A flower festival is a feast for the senses which you can’t experience on line, and the prospect of a cream tea and home baking is too good to miss!”
