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 V111 declared himself head of a new Protestant religion, repudiating papal supremacy - and putting Catholics to the sword.

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

Father French explained: "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 the congregation who 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 Father 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 where he can see St Andrew's Church, known by locals as the smallest church in England.

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 Farther French and we're pleased to see the church being used for this event.''