THE Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, will this Saturday (May 18) consecrate the completion of a Blackpool church -- 75 years after it opened.

Members and friends of St Stephen on the Cliffs have raised £260,000 in two years for a new entrance and enlarged worship area at the first church to be consecrated by the first Bishop of Blackburn on May 17, 1927.

The church, which effectively began with a handful of people gathering round a piano in a local college, was never finished, the vicar, Fr Peter Walsh, explained.

"The joy of the consecration soon gave way to the harsh reality of accelerating costs. This was then coupled with the anguish of the 1930s depression. For years the parish was crippled by mounting debts and, despite heroic efforts, only the interest could be paid."

Debts were cleared, repairs completed and the vicarage was built in the 1950s, following the appointment of the second vicar, Fr Geoffrey Gower-Jones.

"This month that great history is completed and we are the fortunate ones who will see the dreams of many brought to fruition," said Fr Walsh. "This is a truly historic and wonderfully joyful occasion."

The Archbishop's visit will take place during a weekend of celebrations at St Stephen's, including a service of thanksgiving tomorrow (May 17), exactly 75 years after the consecration.

A gift day will raise further funding and the new building will be open during a champagne reception in the evening. On Whit Sunday there will be a sung eucharist, when the celebrant and preacher will be the Bishop of Middleton, the Rt Rev Michael Lewis.