A FURNITURE design and manufacturing company in North Yorkshire has made an altar and lectern for a new chapel being built more than 4,000 miles away - at one of the most famous hospitals in American history.

Treske, based in Thirsk, was approached by architects working on a chapel at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, where American President John F Kennedy died after being shot in 1963.

The specially made church furniture, costing about £14,000 is being air-freighted in individual crates to the hospital site this week and will be installed in the new chapel.

Justin Bartlett, owner and managing director of Treske, said: "It is a great honour to be designing, making and supplying church furniture to such an historic hospital in the United States.

"The new chapel is ready and waiting for our furniture to be installed and I believe the whole facility will be fully commissioned and up and running by August of this year.

"We are proud to be associated with such a pivotal moment in history, and also proud that furniture designed and made in North Yorkshire is now being exported across the world.

"Apart from this Dallas contract, we have exported to Geneva and Abu Dhabi, where our furniture is an integral part of a Christian church in the middle of the desert.”

Mr Bartlett said they received the initial enquiry from the architect of the New Parkland Memorial Hospital, who saw a design she liked on their website.

He added: "The altar and lectern have been constructed from cherry wood, with solid cherry veneers required for the base. They look very special and we can’t wait to see them in the chapel."

Sales manager Russell Clynch said they were very surprised when they got the original email and thought it could be from a fraudster but soon discovered it was a well respected Dallas architect.

“It is impressive to think that our furniture is being showcased to America through this chapel, we would really love to do more work there. We do pride ourselves on the quality of the wood we use and the craftsmanship we put into the furniture and it is nice to see this paying off.”

Treske was started in 1973 by John Gormley, the elder brother of artist Anthony Gormley, and is now run by Mr Bartlett who employs 27 staff in the company which has three divisions, domestic, kitchen and church furniture and a turnover last year of £1.6 million.