THE first stage of major repairs to a landmark church have been completed in time for Christmas activities to take place in the building.

Darlington town centre’s oldest building, St Cuthbert’s Church, is currently undergoing a major renovation programme including vital repairs to its roof.

The church, which dates back to the 12th century, was in desperate need of repairs and thanks to a £79,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a gift of £11,000 from the Friends of St. Cuthbert’s, the roof of the chancel of the church is now secure from the weather.

This means that the planned Christmas activities are able to go ahead, including the recent visit from the Royal Northern Sinfonia which played to a sell-out crowd.

However, as the work was being completed, the church authorities learnt that two of the windows were in a very delicate state.

Installed in the 1860s, they are made of ‘cathedral glass’ manufactured by the Hartley Wood Factory in Sunderland.

Whilst not unique, they are very fine examples of the factory’s work.

Although a recent survey of the windows had shown that they were in need of conservation work, it was not until architects Ulrike Knox and Tom Crooks were able to get close to the glass that the very poor condition could be appreciated.

If the windows were not repaired immediately there was a very real danger that they could fall 20 metres, possibly endangering life.

In mid-November, glass expert Jonathan Cooke was called in to supervise the delicate and dangerous work of removing the windows and gently lowering them to the ground.

The combined skills of Mr Cooke on a ‘cherry picker’ inside the church and workers from contractors Stone Technical Services on scaffolding on the outside, ensured that the windows were safely taken away to be conserved at workshops in Lancashire.

A Service of Light was still able to be held in the church in November as pews were temporarily re-installed and moved directly after the service and ramps put in so that the cherry picker could return.

More work is needed to repair the rest of the roof and the church community have already begun fundraising with a Christmas Tree Festival, which will begin on December 18 and run to January 5.