Our Lady and All Saints Church are delighted to have won the top award in the Class of Places of Worship and Grounds in the Best Kept Village in Lancashire Competition 2023. This is a tribute to the hard work of the team of volunteers in the grounds and cemetery.

With the assistance, on occasion, of professional groundsmen and civil engineers, some major projects have been accomplished, for example, a much-admired feature of the grounds is the statue of Our Lady, carved from the trunk of a sycamore tree in memory of a young man who died prematurely.

The Church was built between 1876 and 1884 when it was commissioned, and the original design of the church and grounds is still the basis of the appearance of the grounds today, supported by the generations of volunteers working in the grounds without the sophistication of modern machinery.

They were also supported by the Parish Priests, Ampleforth Abbey Trustees, and more recently by the Archdiocese of Liverpool in both technical advice and financial advice. The church now has a system of work that will secure the grounds' maintenance for years to come.

Fr Daley said “Congratulations to Ian and his team of volunteers who work tirelessly and generously to maintain our grounds in the beautiful condition that they are! This award is the result of many years of effort and time that the team has put in.”

The award was presented by Judge Peter Openshaw at Eaves Hall, Clitheroe on Monday 16 October, and re-presented at Mass the following Sunday, by Parish Priest Fr LJR Daley.

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