By Chris Dunford-Kelk
Today (Friday, 30 August), marks the 200th anniversary of Pudsey Parish Church.
To mark the event, the church is holding special open days today and tomorrow (Saturday) for people to look around the building and join a guided tour to see parts of the building they wouldn’t normally be able to.
Visitors will be able to look at the church’s magnificent stained glass windows, the organ, and balconies.
There’s a unique opportunity to have a close look at, and even a selfie taken with, one of the clock faces. The eight-foot high face normally sits up on the church tower overlooking Pudsey Park but has currently been taken down for maintenance.
There’s something for all the family. As well as special tours aimed at younger people, there are games and colouring sheets and the opportunity for children (and adults) to dress up in Victorian and Edwardian costumes.
There are special flower arrangements and displays of wedding memories from people who were married at the church, as well as an gallery of designs for stained glass windows done by children at local primary schools for the church’s Bicentennial Art Competition.
A video of the church’s bells ringing is being shown, and a recording of the bells ringing to mark the occasion will be broadcast this weekend on Radio 4’s Bells On Sunday, and can also be listened to afterwards on the BBC Sounds website.
Entry to the open days, and refreshments at the church cafe are free.
The church has launched an appeal to raise money to restore the clock tower, and donations would be welcomed. Proceeds from this weekend’s Pudsey Scarecrow Festival are being given to the clock appeal, which the church would like to thank the Scarecrow Committee for.
The Bicentenary weekend will conclude with a special service on Sunday at 10am, with the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines speaking. The church will then be open again on Sunday afternoon, linking the celebrations into the Scarecrow festival.
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