New life for Dalehead
Dalehead Church and graveyard is a Biological Heritage site, situated in the Forest of Bowland, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Dalehead reopened in July 2006 after refurbishment, to serve as a Heritage and Visitor Centre. It is also a carbon- neutral church. The church, while still remaining a worship centre, is also host to a display on the history and heritage of the lost village of Stocks-in- Bowland and its accompanying upland farming. Stocks
Reservoir was built in the 1920s to supply the Fylde with water.
The interior was reordered to be a place where people can come to worship or experience solitude, for talks or group activities.
The annual Bowland Festival takes place in June, celebrating local places, crafts and culture. Dalehead Church and the adjacent parish of Slaidburn took part in the Festival for the first time in 2007. Slaidburn parish church hosted the festival service and Dalehead
Book Review
HOPE in our villages, towns and cities • A resource manual for Hope 08 Authentic Media, 2007 £2.99 • ISBN 978-18602-46135
Hope 08 is a nationwide initiative in mission and evangelism drawing together churches all over the country (see Country Way 45, p 21). This wide-ranging resource manual has recently been published to coincide with the launch of Hope 08 –
www.hope08.com
It contains multiple ideas for churches to use for engagement with and involvement in their local communities, in many cases linked to either the time of year or the church calendar. Some ideas are developed in detail; others are just seeds. Pre-existing resources of all sorts - books, CDs, DVDs, websites, magazines - are highlighted; and numerous points of contact are provided. Of particular note are two important features: examples of what is already working in practice, and an emphasis on involving and reaching children and young people. It is impossible to do justice to all that is included; but I was particularly impressed with some excellent advice on school assemblies, and with the stress on the ongoing role of local churches. There are very practical suggestions related to prayer, small groups, working with the media and the authorities, and ‘getting your church on board’.
However, despite the inclusion of villages in the title, there is actually very little that is geared specifically to rural contexts and communities, and virtually all the material is based on – or assumes – an urban or suburban setting. In addition, some material was repeated, quite unnecessarily, in different parts of the manual.
The manual is excellent value for money, despite the minor weaknesses identified above. Much of it, especially material focusing on young people, should be relatively easy to adapt to some rural contexts.
Simon Martin, Arthur Rank Centre
Church hosted an event focusing on the rich biodiversity of the area. The graveyard is particularly rich in wild plants with at least 139 different plant species in the 0.4 hectare site.
For those of us who have worked hard to give Dalehead church a new life, the events of the past year have shown how worthwhile this place is. The appreciative comments left by many visitors confirm this.
Revd Mark Russell-Smith Slaidburn, Lancashire
www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk
29
mission and ministry
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