Tuesday 12th May 2015. 19.00 – 21.00

St Marie’s Heritage Group would like to invite you to join us for a fun, entertaining evening inside St Marie’s as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the church.

Enjoy a nice cup of tea, a slice of cake and take a walk down memory lane with our Bachelors Tea Party & Dance.

Prior to the re-opening of St Marie’s in September last year, the St Marie’s Heritage Group asked former parishioners to bring in any memorabilia or keepsakes that they had relating to the church. One submission was a ticket for the Bachelors Tea Party and Dance from April 1938.

That ticket has been the inspiration for this event and we’ll be trying our best to recreate it. Live music (such as would have been played at that time) will be provided by the magnificent Music In Hospitals so there’ll be plenty of opportunity for a dance or two.

The event will start at 19.00 and end at 21.00.

Attendance is free, but visitor numbers are limited, so please book your place by visiting https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=212

If you are unable to register online, please telephone Matthew Roberts on (01928) 592 405.

Saturday 9th May 2015. 13.00 – 15.00

Has St Marie’s Church played an important role in your life?

Perhaps you regularly attended mass, or maybe you were christened or got married in the church?

Perhaps you attended St Marie’s (or St Gerard’s) school?

Or maybe you grew up on one of the streets that used to surround the church?

Regardless of what your links to St Marie’s are, The St Marie’s Heritage Group would like to invite you to join us for a friendly, informal get together as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the church opening its doors for the first time.

Meet old neighbours, make contact with old friends, chat and reminisce about St Marie’s over a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit.

The event will start at 13.00 and end at 15.00. There will be a musical performance at the conclusion of the event.

Attendance is free, but visitor numbers are limited, so please book your place by clicking on the “Register Now” button below.

You can do so online at https://www.haltonsthelensvca.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=211 or by telephoning Matthew Roberts on (01928) 592 405.

Saturday 28th March.

From Midday until 4pm.

Come and browse through all the parish notice books (or Mission Logs) from 1865 until the Church closed for worship.

Find your family names recorded in a variety of ways – including marriage banns!

These books are a rich source of history, being the written account of the priests’ notices that were read from the pulpit at the end of Mass.

You will be surprised at what you can discover.

There’s no need to book a place, just call in at St Marie’s between midday and 4pm.

For further information, please call Matthew Roberts on (01928) 592 405.

Please note: This is a repeat of the very successful event we ran in November.

At this time 100 years ago, Great Britain was 6 months into the conflict which we know today as the First World War. It would last for a further 3 and a half years and would result in the death of 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, paving the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved.

Join us at St Marie’s (Lugsdale Road, Widnes) on Saturday 7th February as local historian, Tony Miller (Chairman of the Sgt. Thomas Mottershead Statue Appeal) presents a talk on the First World War.

Sgt Thomas Mottershead

As well as providing an insight into the exploits of Tom Mottershead, Tony will be talking about life on both the front and the home front during the war. He’ll also be addressing some of the myths about why men signed up to go to war and how the government used censorship to stifle criticism of the war in the press.

The talk starts at 2pm prompt. Doors will open at 13.40 on the day.

Attendance is free, but places must be booked in advance.

Places are limited so please book as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment.

To book you place, please contact Matthew Roberts via mroberts@haltonsthelensvca.org.uk or (01928) 592 405.

Heritage Talks at St Marie’s are funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Our goal is to present fascinating heritage based talks inside an inspiring and beautiful historical building.

Saturday 22nd November 2014

From Midday until 5pm.

Come and browse through all the parish notice books (or Mission Logs) from 1865 until the Church closed for worship.

Find your family names recorded in a variety of ways – including marriage banns!

These books are a rich source of history, being the written account of the priests’ notices that were read from the pulpit at the end of Mass.

You will be surprised at what you can discover.

There’s no need to book a place, just call in at St Marie’s between midday and 5pm.

For further information, please call Matthew Roberts on (01928) 592 405.

Dr Gerrard Hyland – “EW Pugin in the North West”

Saturday 25th October 2014

Starting at 14.30.

St Marie’s is just one of a number of beautiful buildings that make up Edward Pugin’s body of work in the North West.

To learn more about EW Pugin and his work, join us for this fascinating talk lead by eminent Pugin expert, Dr Gerrard Hyland.

Tickets for the event are free, but places are limited.

To claim your seat, please contact Matthew Roberts via mroberts@haltonsthelensvca.org.uk or (01928) 592 405.

Halton & St Helens VCA would like to offer local people the chance to contribute to a new heritage display that will be housed inside the soon to be re-opened St Marie’s on Lugsdale Road.

St Marie’s , which closed as a church in January 2007, will have a dual role in the future; as office space for Halton & St Helens VCA and as a heritage centre (which pays tribute to the heritage of the building and the role it played in the lives of local people).

The display in question will be a large Timeline and local people’s photographs and written memories will be posted upon it at the appropriate places.

“The stories and memories of local people are every bit as important to us as the bricks and mortar of the building” says Halton & St Helens VCA’s Matthew Roberts. “St Marie’s meant so much to local people. It wasn’t just a place of worship, it was the centre of the community.”

“We want people to bring us their old photos or stories” says Roger Harrison of The St Marie’s Heritage Group. “The more people that contribute, the better a job we’ll have done of keeping the memories alive and preserving them for future generations.”

St Marie’s will also be the venue for heritage talks from special guests and regular tours of the redeveloped building will be offered for people who are keen to visit it once more.

If you have a photograph or a story to share, please feel free to e-mail it to mroberts@haltonsthelensvca.org.uk

Alternatively, you can visit St Marie’s and one of the Halton & St Helens VCA staff team will very carefully scan your photo or document and then let you have it back.

You’ll be able to then revisit St Marie’s in mid September and see your contribution to the display in person.

The St Marie’s Heritage Group discuss ideas for displays inside St Marie’s.

Please submit your contributions before 5pm on Friday 29^th August.

Week 35 marked the conclusion of the redevelopment work of St Marie’s, so for one last time, let’s enjoy the photography of Dave Clark, our superb Project Manager from John Turner Construction Ltd. Thanks Dave!

The photos were taken on Friday 27th June.

There’s still a lot of work to be done inside St Marie’s; getting the IT, phone lines etc up and running for Halton & St Helens VCA, as well starting on the heritage displays, but the building itself is pretty much completed.

The path between St Marie’s and Lugsdale Road is nice and tidy.

The area below the Organ Loft is now a Board Room for Halton & St Helens VCA.

The paintings on the Altar have been varnished and are now fully restored.

Looking down the room from the Altar. “Hello” to Dave from Healthwatch Halton.

The gates to the Altar have been returned and refitted.

The following photos were taken on Friday 20th June.

As you can see, we’re in the final throws of the redevelopment and progress seems to be at quite a pace! The photos were taken by Dave Clark from John Turner Construction Ltd.

A view of the centre of the room (available for meetings, consultation exercise etc).

Road markings to make sure that visitors know they’re in a wee one way system.

The pews are back!

The view from the Organ Loft.

The statues are back inside St Marie’s. This view (from the Organ Loft) also shows the offices on the left hand side of the building.

The kitchen (now finished) was once one of the confessionals.

There was so much going on in Week 34 that I decided to break it up into two separate posts. The photographs below were provided by Dave Clark from John Turner Construction Ltd.

The following photographs were taken between Monday 16th June and Wednesday 18th June.

The lads lay a nice, new tarmac path.

A ramp is installed outside the extension to improve access for people with disabilities.

The sign for Halton & St Helens VCA goes up!

The covers have come off the organ and it’s been polished up nicely. Note the difference in the floor since previous photos.

An interesting view of the offices down the wings of the building. We chose glass so that the walls would be as sympathetic to the building and as subtle as possible.

The covers are off from the Side Altar to the left of the Altar.

The covers have been taken off the Side Altar to the right of the Altar.