VILLAGERS marked the hundredth birthday of their church with a weekend of celebrations.

Hundreds of visitors took the opportunity to drop into Hawksworth Village Meth-odist Church to see floral displays and an exhibition of mementoes.

Church member, Nora Morrell, put together floral displays marking the stages of life - such as marriage, baptism and memorials and harvests.

And there were also mementoes and photographs of when the church first opened 100 years ago.

The celebratory weekend ended with the Aireborough circuit's two longest serving preachers, Norman Revis and Stanley Waddington leading two services. A packed church saw friends from other churches and members of Aireborough Soroptimists joining in.

Back in July, 1902, the stone laying ceremony at the new Wesleyan Chapel in Hawksworth was major news in The Wharfedale and Airedale Observer.

Built to replace the village's old chapel, which was thought too small and 'lacking in facilities' for its congregation, the new chapel was built on land donated by the then owner of the estate, Frederick Hawksworth Faw-kes.

The paper reported that donations poured in from 'many generous friends' and plans were prepared by Bradford architects, Messrs Walker and Collinson.

As well as a chapel - capable of seating 120 - and school, the new building included a caretaker's house.

And the whole cost of the project, minus the bill for the architect, was £841.

At the stone laying ceremony - marred by a downpour - in front of church representatives from across the area, the first stone was laid by Mr R Rennard from Bradford - a descendant of Marmaduke Rennard, one of the first trustees of the old chapel and the village schoolmaster.

Other stones were laid by the village's oldest resident, Mr C Holmes, and by Miss Law of Hawksworth Hall.

After the ceremony, around 250 people sat down to tea laid on by ladies of the church.