Call for church pews to become something new
Peter GirouxA church is asking local woodworkers and craftspeople to create items using oak from its original Victorian pews.
St Cuthbert's in Darlington has been undergoing a £2.5m restoration project which aims to make the building more accessible, as well as building new facilities such as a cafe and a meeting room.
The church is inviting people to craft the Victorian German oak pews into new items which can be sold to raise the final £50,000 needed for the renovation.
"It would be lovely to celebrate a photograph from a wedding or a christening by having a photograph frame made out of St Cuthbert's pews," Kerry Jonas, head of community fundraising for the church, said.
"I can also see that woodworkers may have really inventive ways to use the wood – maybe someone could make wooden church mice, and I will definitely want to buy a key fob engraved with a St Cuthbert's cross."
Peter GirouxThe restoration and building work, called the Opening Doors Project, at St Cuthbert's is expected to last until early 2027.
The Reverend James Harvey said it "is not simply a building project", but an "expression of our mission and our hope for the future".
He said the message of Christianity "lives wherever we gather, pray, support one another, and serve our community, even while our building is being repaired, the Church remains open, alive and active".
