Hundreds of churches across Yorkshire are preparing to welcome visitors for the inaugural ‘Yorkshire Churches Day' (YCD) on Saturday 10th September.
Run by the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust (YHCT), Yorkshire Churches Day is a day where everyone is encouraged to visit their local place of worship even if they have never stepped foot inside a church before. It will be a day for those who are curious about the history and heritage of their local surroundings.
The initiative has been warmly welcomed by Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York and President of the YHCT: “Yorkshire Churches Day is a wonderful opportunity to share many of our County's churches. At the heart of many of our communities sits a church, there to welcome everyone, rightly as centres of the community. However you engage with our wonderful churches, remember, they are not merely places of heritage and history, but vibrant places of worship and community"
Among those opening their doors are St Chad’s on Toller Lane in Bradford, as well as Bradford Cathedral, which has an exhibition about Bradford's famous English mathematician and astronomer Abraham Sharp. Join them for a talk; craft activities; and space-themed music, and explore their inflatable solar system.
If you are near Batley, you can visit St Saviour, Brownhill (pictured) to view the Victoria & Albert Window - a unique window showing the Queen with Prince Albert and the Millennium Window designed by the congregation.
St. Martin's Church, Womersley, near Pontefract will be welcoming visitors from 10am – 4pm, serving refreshments and giving visitors a chance to view old albums and vestments, along with taking part in a quiz.
Also in the area and opening up for visitors between 10.30am – 4pm is St John the Baptist at Kirkby Wharfe, Tadcaster, a wonderful 12th c. Norman church with its Roman tombstone, Saxon crosses and mediaeval treasures. Visitors will be able to visit the bell tower, have a guided tour and view the Roman artefacts.
Churches from all corners of the region are opening their doors, including; St Saviour’s High Green, Sheffield, St Patrick’s in Patrington, East Yorkshire, St John’s Birkby, near Huddersfield and Queen Street Methodist church in Scarborough.
Details of the many other churches taking part in YCD can be found at https://www.yhct.org.uk/yorkshire-churches-day/
YCD is being run in partnership with the Heritage Open Days initiative, and many other places of worship will be opening up for the duration of the festival from 9th
