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BBC
Voices producer Matt Watkinson finds out about the churches in the
parish of Eastfield
 Holy
Nativity, the Anglican Church in Eastfield, is a relatively modern
building, deceptively so from the outside. Inside, it’s spacious,
bright and airy, and simply decorated.
In
fact, members of the congregation have done a lot of the work. Some
years ago, when the nearby Westway House NSPCC centre was being
furnished, Father Allan Campbell-Wilson (who’s the priest in
charge) was delighted to find the church had a new, blue carpet.
It
seems his resourceful wife had negotiated a deal for any offcuts.
Following that, another regular turned up with a pot of paint and
began decorating.
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| Father
Allan Campbell-Wilson, priest of Holy Nativity Church |
"There’s
a tremendous spirit" says Father Allan, whose earlier parishes
included parts of Middlesbrough," but not enough parishioners
attend regularly".
Part
of the problem is that the nearby church at Cayton, also part of
the parish, is a pretty, Grade 1 listed building, where people prefer
to get married.
They
come to Holy Nativity for christenings...and while the idea of church
can be off-putting to some, people on Eastfield are still happy
to send their children.
Father
Allan says, and believes too, that Eastfield is a lovely estate."Look
at all the greenery, the trees and the open spaces," he says,
and in comparison with its inner-city counterparts, Eastfield has
a great deal going for it.
St
George’s Roman Catholic Church is a modern building, long,
airy and light. It’s popular with a great many parishioners.
It stands on Moor Lane, next to a newly resurfaced car park and
an area for reflection, full of cherry blossom and freshly cut grass.
Father
Tom O’Connell’s in charge. He’s lived on Eastfield
for 23 years…having left his home in Leyburn for the estate.
He say people made him welcome from the beginning, and have done
so ever since. He says, like his Anglican counterpart, that the
majority of people on Eastfield are good…but what would help,
he believes, would be more for young people to do.
This
year, he celebrates his Golden Jubilee with the Catholic Church,
and he’s thrilled. His family, he says, is coming over from
Ireland, and the occasion will be marked in a spectacular way by
the church.
Matt
Watkinson
Producer Eastfield VOICES
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