A 200-YEAR-OLD church which was damaged in an arson attack will re-open this month, with a blessing by the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Alan Chesters.

St James Church, on a hill above Haslingden, will re-open with a weekend of commemorative events starting on Friday, February 25. The Grade II listed building was forced to close after it was set alight in August, 1998.

Parish priest Father Roger Smith, said: "We started using the church six months later but it was still in such a mess, with damage to the organ and the roof."

After the initial shock of the fire, Fr Roger seized the opportunity to transform the look of the church and build new community facilities.

The church, built in 1780, can now accommodate 2,000 people, and a new dais has been created for performing arts and worship.

A community hall has been created at the rear of the church and the porch where fire broke out has been painstakingly rebuilt. It is hoped the gallery upstairs will eventually become a display and exhibition area, with a permanent base for local schools and societies.

The hall will be opened at 3pm on February 25 by a 97-year-old who has been a parishioner since she was five years old.

The former dirty green ceiling, which was badly damaged in the fire, has been transformed with colourful new panels and bosses and chandeliers have been refurbished.

The south roof has been replaced and new light and heating systems have been installed, along with a kitchen and toilets. The £280,000 project was partly paid for by the sale of the church hall. Other groups which have contributed include English Partnerships, the Church Urban Fund, Diocese Opportunities Fund, Tudor Trust and Rossendale Council.

Local companies have carried out the refurbishment and much of the woodwork has been done by Cees van der Shans, of Helmshore, whose son, Adrian, is the church organist.

The Bishop of Blackburn, will preside over the church's re-opening and blessing ceremony, along with the Archdeacon of Blackburn, the Ven John Marsh.

Guests at the service, which begins at 7.30pm on Friday, February 25, will include the Mayors of Hyndburn and Rossendale, along with Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, whose constituency includes most of Haslingden.

The church will be open to visitors the following day from 10am to 3pm and, on the Sunday, the Bishop of Burnley, the Rt Rev Martyn Jarrett will preach, starting at 10am. A hymn service will take place at 6.30pm that day, when a new chalice and communion plate will be dedicated to former parishioner Edith Booth.

Father Smith is pictured admiring the repainted ceiling with its colourful new panels and bosses.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.