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Cottingley ‘a shining example’

by Paul Wilkinson

the engraved glass window and sculpture by Chris Wright © not advert
New dawn: the engraved glass window and sculpture by Chris Wright in St Michael and All Angels’

A UNIQUE project, which has placed a new church at the heart of a £4.5- million community-regeneration pro­­­ject, has reached its culmination after almost six years’ work.

On 6 September, the Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Revd David James, led the service of dedication and thanksgiving for the new St Michael and All Angels’ at Cottingley, in West Yorkshire.

The building is the focal point of a scheme that had the support of the Prince of Wales. The aim was to revitalise the run-down social housing that makes up much of the parish on the edge of Bradford.

“We cannot find another example of this kind of regeneration,” said Canon Sue Pinnington, Vicar of St Michael’s, who chaired the Cottingley Cornerstone Project. “It has been led by the church, and has involved the community from the onset in its design and concept.”

The project includes public-meeting rooms; a multi-purpose hall; day-centres for the elderly, disabled, and children; a GPs’ surgery; a computer suite; nursery and youth facilities; and 50 houses.

Cottingley © not advert

The idea for the project began when a war memorial in the old 1960s church was attacked by van­dals. Reports reached the Prince of Wales, and when a re-dedication ceremony was held in 2002, he asked to attend.

“But he said he didn’t just want to come to unveil a plaque; he wanted to address the issues that had led to the children believing that was the way to behave,” Canon Pinnington said. “The Prince organised a round-table meeting, which included young people from Cottingley. From that came the idea that if we worked in partnership, we could achieve more than just a new church and hall.”

In a letter to the village in 2004, the Prince described the project as “a shining example of what can be achieved when the community comes together to work collectively to im­prove the quality of life of its members.”

Canon Pinnington said: “We truly believe that we have been incredibly blessed; we very much felt the presence of the Holy Spirit through­out the whole project.”

The designers have sited the new church altar at the epicentre of the redevelopment, placing it, the Canon says, “at the very heart, of the very heart, of the very heart of the whole scheme”.


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