Last night an opening ceremony was held at St. Thomas's Church, St. Helens, Merseyside to celebrate the completion of its first phase of extensive modernisation thanks to funding from Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust (ICET).
The newly renovated buildings will serve a dual purpose as a place of worship and community centre offering a wide-range of educational and cultural events for the benefit of the whole community.
The Bishop of Warrington, Rt. Rev David Jennings, who conducted the opening ceremony said: "In its old state the church was unable to meet the needs of modern day living. However, with these renovations the church can now better serve the community and provide a beautiful centre for public worship".
The ICET contributed £20,000 towards the total cost of the project. Angela Haymonds, Secretary of Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust, said: " We are delighted to have contributed to the renovation of a building that means so much to the community and this is just one of the many community projects Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust has funded through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF). The scheme offers funding to projects that benefit communities living within ten miles of a landfill site. Groups interested in submitting projects should visit our website".
