We are very proud to have become a 'Pilgrim Place' joining hundreds of Churches in the north. This is a new scheme backed by the Archbishop of York and will put us on the map as an open and welcoming church to all those who seek shelter and search for meaning on the pilgrim trail. Pilgrimage has for centuries been an important part of the Christian journey - we are pleased to be able to continue that heritage, joining thousands of churches worldwide as places of welcome, peace and hope.Why not pick up some of the free prayer cards and Pilgrim Trail leaflets in church and have a think about it? The trail leaflets will help you to find out more about the Saints who first brought Christianity to the north of England , to think about the journey of life, and give you some ideas for reflection. Do come and visit, we're open from 10am to 5pm every day.
We’re thrilled to announce that St Bartholomew’s has been awarded the Bronze Eco Church Award, recognising the meaningful steps we’ve taken as a community to care for our little corner of creation.Eco Church is an initiative from A Rocha—which means “The Rock” in Portuguese. A Rocha is a global family of Christian environmental organisations that began in the 1980s to encourage the care of God’s creation. One of their flagship projects is the Eco Church award scheme, designed to help churches respond to the environmental crisis with faith-driven action.Achieving the Bronze award is just the beginning. We're now working towards the Silver and eventually Gold awards, using the A Rocha framework as our roadmap to a more sustainable, eco-conscious future. There’s still plenty to do—but we’re excited to be on this journey together.Some of the steps we've taken so far:All lighting in our buildings has been upgraded to LED, improving energy efficiency.We planted a 50-metre hedgerow in the churchyard, enhancing local biodiversity using native species.Building repairs to guttering and structure have helped us conserve energy.Thermostats were installed, and we actively monitor heating use. From 2023 to 2024, we halved our CO₂ emissions through better energy management.Planting around the church now includes pollinator-friendly species to support birds, bees, and butterflies.This is truly a whole-church effort, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped make this possible.If you’d like to learn more or get involved, visit the A Rocha Eco Church website: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.ukTogether, let’s continue caring for creation—faithfully and joyfully.
✨ Shine the Light – Stained Glass Windows Restoration ✨The stained glass windows in our church were created in 1888 by William Pape of Leeds, a renowned glass merchant and designer whose work adorned churches throughout the region. His exceptional craftsmanship was celebrated at the Great Exhibition in York in 1889, where he presented an extraordinary 1,500-foot display of stained glass. Among his designs were intricate patterns of scriptural ivy and Passion flowers—motifs still visible in our own windows today.Installed during the church alterations of 1888, these windows remain one of our most beautiful and treasured features. But after more than 130 years, time has taken its toll. Sections of the glass have sustained damage and are now in need of expert repair. The ventilation sections are currently unusable, and one section near the pulpit has buckled and requires reinforcement and replacement a sections of the glass need replacement due to damage.During research for this project, we also made an exciting discovery—the original drawings for the stained glass windows, created in 1888. These designs, never before seen by our community, reveal how different the church might have looked, with alternative options once proposed for the space above the altar.We are delighted at the prospect of working with Barley Studios of York, specialists in the restoration of historic stained glass, to carry out this important work. With a generous grant already received from the Diocese of Leeds, we are now actively seeking further funding to complete the project. How you can help...If you would like to play a part in preserving this precious piece of our church’s heritage, please consider leaving a donation—either in church or online. Every contribution, large or small, brings us closer to ensuring these windows can continue to shine their light for generations to come.This restoration marks another vital step in making the building fully watertight and safeguarding its history, beauty, and faith for the future.
The project included the installation of new high-capacity cast iron-effect guttering, careful lime repointing of high-level brickwork and stonework, and the repointing of the Vestry chimney along with the installation of a new flue. Broken slates were also replaced with traditional Welsh slates, staying true to the church’s historic character.A huge thank you goes to Pinnacle Conservation Ltd for their outstanding craftsmanship — the work has been done so sensitively and skilfully, you can barely tell they’ve been!This vital restoration would not have been possible without the incredible support of our community, a generous legacy gift, and our fundraising champions. We are deeply grateful to the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, North Yorkshire Council, Northern Energy, Green Tech, the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust, the Diocese of Leeds (through the Church Building and Building for Mission grants), and the Church of England Give to Go Green Match Funding for their invaluable contributions.Thank you for helping preserve the beauty and heritage of our church for future generations!#StBartholomews #ChurchRestoration #HeritageMatters #ThankYou #GiveToGoGreen
