A toast to our revamped town church

More than seven years of hard work paid off for church leaders and councillors in Hemsworth when they celebrated the restoration of St Helen’s Church.
St Helen's Church restoration. Picture courtesy of Stuart Nicholson.St Helen's Church restoration. Picture courtesy of Stuart Nicholson.
St Helen's Church restoration. Picture courtesy of Stuart Nicholson.

Walls around the churchyard have been fully restored as part of an eight-week scheme carried out by UK Restoration Services on behalf of Wakefield Council.

Members of the church, district and town councillors together with Father Robert Hart, rector at St Helen’s, held a celebration event on Sunday.

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Fr Hart said: “It’s taken long enough but we’re delighted this work is now complete to such a high standard.

“It’s made a vast improvement to the centre of Hemsworth and we’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in the project.”

Fr Hart said the church members had been planning the restoration works for more than seven years.

He said: “The walls were in such a terrible condition and were in a high profile location in the centre of the town.”

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Hemsworth councillor Sandra Pickin thanked people in the town for their patience during the works.

Parts of Station Road and Cross Hill junction were closed for around two weeks while the works were carried out.

Coun Pickin said: “It’s taken a long time to get the funding in place for the works but the wait has certainly been worth it.

“The contractors have done an absolutely fantastic job - it looks really good.

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“A lot of people have said how nice it looks and they’ve spent some money on the church itself so it looks really welcoming as people come into Hemsworth now.”

The walls stretch around Station Road and onto Wakefield Road at Cross Hill junction.

Coun Pickin said: “I think it says how much people value the importance of the works that I haven’t had a single complaint about the works.”