AN AMBITIOUS project which opened up a Golcar church to the local community has been shortlisted for a national award.

Church leaders at St John the Evangelist completed a £150,000 revamp to create space for concerts and meetings earlier this year.

Crucially, the scheme – called Open Doors; Open Hearts; Thriving Communities – involved removing pews and installing a new heating system.

The kitchen and toilets were also replaced and access improved for disabled people.

The biggest source of funding was a grant of £48,738 from Biffa Awards for the heating system.

Now Biffa has shortlisted the project for its Community Buildings category at its annual awards in September.

St John’s will compete against three other projects for a £2,000 prize.

Churchwarden Helen Davies, who spearheaded the project, said she was delighted the scheme had been shortlisted.

“We received the Biffa grant for the heating system and while it’s not particularly glamorous it is absolutely crucial for such a large old building.

“To get maximum use out of the church we needed to heat it adequately.”

She added: “We are up against some superb community projects and it’s just a great accolade to be thought worthy and important enough to be recognised in this way.”

The project, completed in March, also attracted funding from a wide range of bodies including the Kirklees Council, the local By and Buy shop, Huddersfield Common Good Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Bishops Development Fund, Co-operative Community Fund and the Allchurches Trust.

Helen said the success was down to the hard work of the Parochial Church Council and its building group.

“We have done incredibly well in securing grants and donations and people have been very generous and have caught the vision,” she said.

“The key to achieving such funding is to show that your community will benefit and that your reach extends far beyond your own group.

“You also have to take people with you and crucial to the success is keeping people informed every step of the way.

“Of course some people will want things to stay exactly as they are but those people have been magnanimous in appreciating what has been achieved.

“If we want the church to remain as a place of worship we have to find other uses.”

The church already has a series of concerts lined up including one from Colne Valley Male Voice Choir in September.

It is also hoped to develop closer links with Colne Valley Museum in Golcar.

Helen said: “We want to work with the museum on our local Victorian heritage.

“There is a great interest from local schools in the Victorian era as it’s part of the curriculum so as well as learning about the life of a weaver the children can come to church and explore the parish records.

“Golcar still has the feel of a village and even though there are lots of new people moving in we have families that go back generations.”

The Biffa Awards ceremony will be held in Birmingham on September 24.

Programme manager Gillian French said: “All of our projects are run by people who work hard to bring communities together and make a lasting difference to their local areas and the environment.

“To be shortlisted is a tremendous achievement. Our judges have a difficult but exciting task ahead in choosing the winners.”