Lychgate back to its former glory

CHURCH members decorate the newly restored lychgate as The Rev Christopher Halliday leads the blessing.

CELEBRATION was in the air in Saddleworth as churchgoers proudly unveiled a restored lychgate.

Members were shocked to find the 102-year-old structure at St Anne’s Church in Lydgate was in serious danger of collapsing after steel columns holding it up had corroded.

It took months of fundraising from the Love Lydgate group, church members and the local community to hit the £6,000 target for the columns to be replaced.

Now beautiful new European oak clads the columns, which also boast two new decorative crosses on each side.

Committee member Richard Darlington said: “The wooden planks had started to fall off and revealed the steel inside. It’s a very unusual method of construction and we found the original drawings from the turn of the century.

“We’re absolutely delighted that new galvanised steel posts have been installed that should mean it will stand there for another 100 years.”

The Rev Christopher Halliday led a blessing outside the church to coincide with the Lydgate Summer fair.

Artists also surrounded the church and the village to capture familiar scenes in their own works of art, which were then displayed during an exhibition as part of celebrations.