HISTORY is in the making in a forgotten corner of the North-East.

A tiny church is being reopened this weekend to celebrate the first Roman Catholic mass there for 500 years.

Benedictine monk Father Philip-James French has worked in partnership with Redcar and Cleveland Council to make the service at St Andrew's Church, Upleatham, east Cleveland, possible.

A Roman Catholic mass has not been held at the church since Henry VIII declared himself head of a new Protestant religion, repudiating papal supremacy - and putting Catholics to the sword.

All that will change at 11am on Saturday when the area's Catholics will attend mass at St Andrew's.

Fr French said: "It will certainly be the first act of public worship in the church in 166 years and the first Catholic mass since the Reformation, and that's 500 years ago.''

The priest's only problem is organising chairs for up to 30 worshippers the church can accommodate. They are being encouraged to bring a packed lunch.

"Hopefully, please God, we will have a monthly mass, but that decision has still to be finalised," said Fr French, who also serves as parish priest at St Ninian's, Baxtergate, Whitby.

He is based at the monastery of Our Lady and St Cuthbert, at Skelton, from the rear of which he can see St Andrew's, known by locals as the smallest church in England.

He said: "I have always thought it was a shame that it was not being used.

"It is going to be a great privilege, and an historic event, to be there and to celebrate mass for the first time in such a long time.''

Fr French first had to track down the owners of the vandalised 18ft by 15ft building which was transferred by the Church of England to the local authority about 15 years ago.

Ged Demoily, the council's parks and countryside manager, said: "The church was closed as redundant many years ago and was transferred into the council's ownership via a conveyance from the Church Commissioners for England, in 1987.

"We have been working in partnership with Father French and we're pleased to see the church being used for this event."