'Battle ahead' to revive historic church standing proudly since Anglo-Saxon era

A church that has been open for centuries is fighting for its future in its town.

St Cuthbert’s Church has stood in Billingham since 845AD - the Anglo-Saxons era. It is described as the ‘mother church’ of the town and it is located on Billingham Green.

St Cuthbert’s is one of five churches covered by the Billingham Team Parish and due to a lack of funding and a decline in people using it, its future is under threat. 

However, the parish is trying to revive the church to ensure it stays open.

Janet Turley, a member of the Parochial Church Council, said: “People should know we are open for business. There is a battle ahead to keep this old building open.”

St Cuthbert’s is an “iconic landmark”, according to Janet and it is “lighting up the Green once more” now that the church’s external lights have been fixed after years. It is one of the oldest churches in Teesside and it can now be admired by those who pass it at night.

She explained that “many churches in the UK are under threat of closure and St Cuthbert’s is no exception”. Janet has noticed a decline in people using the church since the pandemic but the church council have been trying to revive the popularity of the historic Billingham church since 2022.

Janet continued: “It should be preserved to honour Christianity. If there’s no money coming in the pot, unfortunately, we will have to make the sad decision to close. People take it for granted. They think it will be there forever.”

The other four churches covered by the Billingham Team Parish are St Aidan’s, St Luke’s, St Peter’s Wolvison and St Magdalene at Wolviston Courtyard. There has been a range of community fayres and concerts at St Cuthbert’s since 2022 to try to bring the church back to life.

Charles Wellington, the St Cuthbert's church warden, said: "It's such a wonderful historic building, absolutely magnificent. It's one of the oldest buildings certainly in Billingham and probably in Stockton as well.

"It's Grade I listed so it's of the very finest quality and we are extremely keen to ensure it becomes, as it were, a cultural living asset beyond simply a church. That's why we're keen to do the work we're doing and have made the various improvements we have made. "

The autumn fayre, organised by the parish, on September 30, 2023 saw more than 700 people walk through the church doors. There was a bouncy castle in the church hall for children, a woodfire pizza van and a range of stalls inside the church, including tombola, garden produce, crafts and toys.

Charles added: "If we put on events our experience is the community comes. They like it. They enjoy the historic ambience of the place. We’re determined to put on even more events because people are attracted to them."

St Cuthbert's Church in Billingham also offers a space for local groups to hold events. 

 

The church warden said the Billingham Choral Society had a concert there which was attended by 100 people and there was a folk concert in December which also saw 100 people fill the church.

There is a programme of events and concerts planned for this year at St Cuthbert’s. 

There will be a concert "maybe once a month" and according to Charles, Janet is "very keen" to have a flower festival in the summer and an event for servicemen around Armed Forces Day.

Janet and Charles would like to preserve the church for generations to come. 

They urge the local community to make use of it to help it continue standing.