THE long-awaited major capital development at All Saints Ilkley is now complete and on Sunday (June 23) at 3.30pm there will be a Celebration Service joined by Bishop Toby Howarth and many civic and community representatives.

The building works give All Saints a more flexible space with improved access. There is also a new link building between the main church building and the meeting rooms in Church House.

The associated heritage interpretation inside the church tells the story of the church and Ilkley from the times of the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons, through the life of the medieval and Victorian eras, right up to the current 21st-century renovations.

Dobsons Construction Ltd, from Ilkley, has been the principal contractors, working with Ilkley-based Halliday Clark Architects and Bradford-based Michael Eyres Partnership as Project Managers.

The artist for the timeline and for visual images on the link windows is Peter Falloon. The project has been supported by fundraising, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and by several small grants.

The Rev Mike Coe said: “We are thrilled with the outcome of the work at All Saints and are looking forward to seeing the redeveloped buildings used for many different church and community activities. We are really thankful to everyone who has generously supported this project over the past six years, but we are ultimately grateful to God for his ongoing provision to us as a church family.”

David Renwick, of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Through physical works to conserve and improve access, historical interpretation, and an exciting programme of activities the community can get involved and discover the fascinating stories All Saints has to tell.”

The Church will be open daily from Monday, July 1.