They say all good things come in pairs.
Well, that was certainly the case for lucky brothers Gabriel and Jacob Parks, who became the first twins to be baptised at Holme Chapel in 320 years.
It was a day to remember for the families of the five-month-old babies, who have now earned their place in the history book of the tiny church on Woodhead Road.
It was their mum Rebecca O’Regan who made their special day possible, after travelling 200 miles from her home in Bristol with many of her friends.
Rebecca, 40, used to go to the chapel weekly when she lived in the hamlet as a child with her parents Joan , 75, and Gordon Park, 82.
Talking about the event, Joan, of The Village, said: “It was lovely.
“We only realised that they would be the first twins to be baptised in 320 years at a church service the week before, which was quite a surprise at first.
“Although thinking about it after I realised that I’d never seen any twins in Holme in the 30 years that I and Gordon have lived here.”
Members of the congregation joined with Rebecca’s friends to celebrate the unusual christening, which was led by lay preacher Peter Roberts.
“Both Jacob and Gabriel were very well-behaved and Gabriel had such a big smile on his face when the water was poured on his head so much that Peter did it again just to see him smile.
“It made us all feel very special because it’s a unique thing to happen.
“And it was very nice to see such a full chapel with younger people.
“Our congregation has been getting smaller and it was great to breathe some new life into it.”
