All Saints Stranton, Hartlepool, continued its 900th anniversary celebrations on Saturday 11 July with a sponsored abseil from the church tower.
Twenty-three brave members of the church and local community, aged from six to over 70, took up the challenge and abseiled down the historic tower.
During the day, abseilers and their supporters also had the opportunity to explore the church’s Past Memories Exhibition and enjoy refreshments. The exhibition brought together a fascinating collection of local memories, including family baptism photographs, images from a 1980s Victorian Street Party, memories of the local Boys’ Brigade, choir and Sunday School, and records charting the history of the church.
The Revd Claire Mead, Assistant Curate, said: “It was wonderful to see everyone take part in the tower abseil. It was a joy to see eight members of the Porritt family take up the challenge and to welcome back the Revd Dr Nick Moore, former curate and warden at Cranmer Hall, Durham.
“Thank you to everyone who took part and supported the upkeep of our church through their sponsorship, and a massive thank you to our 900th Anniversary Team, volunteers and the great team at Canoes, Mountains, Caves, who made this special day possible.”
The next event in Stranton Church’s 900th anniversary celebrations will be an organ recital by Daniel Cook, Master of the Choristers and Organist at Durham Cathedral, on Saturday 19 September at 7.30pm.
Everyone is welcome. No tickets are required, although donations towards the upkeep of the Stranton Church organ will be welcomed on the evening.
For more information about upcoming events and services, visit the All Saints Stranton Church Facebook page or contact the Stranton Church Office at admin@stranton-church.org.uk or 01429 894006.
