THE long-awaited major developments at All Saints Ilkley are about to get under way.

The building works will give a flexible and friendly space not only for worship and weddings but also for community activities, concerts, exhibitions, performances, conferences and meetings. And there will be improved access.

The building works include: new level floors and heating, flexible seating to replace fixed pews, improved lighting, and an accessible toilet. There will be a new link building between the church and the meeting rooms to provide a meeting space and increased safety for children and vulnerable adults.

The associated heritage plan will tell and interpret the story of the church and the people of Ilkley from the times of the Roman Fort and the Anglo-Saxons, through the life of the medieval and Victorian eras, right up to the current 21st-Century renovations. There will be a wide range of activities for the community including a “memories project”, and opportunities for all ages to engage with the living heritage of the community and the church.

The contractor has yet to be named but work is anticipated to begin in the coming weeks and it is hoped that the church will re-open in the early summer of 2019. Professional advisers include Halliday Clark Architects from Ilkley, and the Bradford-based Michael Eyres Partnership as project managers. The project has support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The last service before the works begin will be a joint service at 10am on Sunday, November 4 and all are welcome to share this historic moment. Sunday, November 11 will be the first of All Saints’ services to be held during the build-period in the Clarke-Foley Centre.