Hundreds of churches across the region are preparing to welcome visitors for the inaugural Yorkshire Churches Day on Saturday, September 16.
Run by the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust (YHCT), Yorkshire Churches Day is a day where everyone is encouraged to visit their local place of worship even if they have never stepped foot inside a church before. It will be a day for those who are curious about the history and heritage of their local surroundings.
The initiative has been warmly welcomed by Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York and president of the YHCT.
He said: “Yorkshire Churches Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our county’s churches. At the heart of nearly every one of our communities is a church. They are there to serve and welcome everyone. However you choose to engage with these wonderful buildings, remember they are not merely places of heritage and history, but vibrant centres of worship and community serving Yorkshire today.”
Among those opening their doors is St Augustine’s in Hedon, popularly known as the King of Holderness, and believed to date from 1180 during the reign of Henry II. The church will be open from 10am, offering tours and homemade refreshments will be available in the afternoon.
Churches from all corners of the region are opening their doors, details of which can be found at yhct.org.uk/yorkshire-churches-day.
YCD is being run in conjunction with the Heritage Open Days initiative, and many other places of worship will be opening for the duration of the festival from September 9-18. For more information, visit heritageopendays.org.uk.
