HUNDREDS of churches across Yorkshire – and a number in the Bradford district – are preparing to welcome visitors for the inaugural Yorkshire Churches Day.

Run by the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, the day takes place on Saturday, September 10, and aims to encourage everyone to visit their local place of worship, even if they have never stepped foot inside a church before.

It will be a day for those who are curious about the history and heritage of their local surroundings.

The initiative has been warmly welcomed by Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York and president of the YHCT: “Yorkshire Churches Day is a wonderful opportunity to share many of our County's churches. At the heart of many of our communities sits a church, there to welcome everyone, rightly as centres of the community.

“However you engage with our wonderful churches, remember, they are not merely places of heritage and history, but vibrant places of worship and community."

Among those opening their doors are St Chad’s on Toller Lane in Bradford, and the Moravia Church in Lower Wyke, as well as Bradford Cathedral, which has an exhibition about Bradford's famous English mathematician and astronomer Abraham Sharp. Join them for a talk, craft activities, space-themed music, and to explore their inflatable solar system.

Churches around Bradford and the wider district that are opening on September 10 as part of Yorkshire Churches Day include the following 14 sites.

  • Bradford: Bradford Cathedral
  • Bradford: Lower Wyke Moravian Church
  • Bradford: St Chad’s, Toller Lane
  • Bradford: St John the Evangelist, Bierley
  • Bradford: St Mary’s, Wyke
  • Brighouse: Clifton Methodist Church
  • Brighouse: St John the Evangelist
  • Brighouse: St Martin
  • Cleckheaton: Our Lady of Unfailing Help and St Paul
  • Gomersal: St Mary the Blessed Virgin
  • Heckmondwike: Church of the Holy Spirit - opens September 16 and 17
  • Ilkley: All Saints
  • Otley: Bridge United Reformed Church
  • Otley: Parish Church, Kirkgate

The Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust (YHCT) provides funds for churches, chapels and meeting houses of all Christian denominations within the county of Yorkshire.

Funding ranges from small schemes such as gutter repairs to large-scale re-pointing of stonework, roof repairs and other conservation works.

For further details visit yhct.org.uk/yorkshire-churches-day.

YCD is being run in partnership with the Heritage Open Days initiative, and many other places of worship will be opening up for the duration of the festival from September 9 to 18.

Details can be found at heritageopendays.org.uk.