ALL Saints Church in Ilkley has held its final service before major renovations.

At the end of the final hymn, Nathan Woolloff unscrewed the brass fitting from one of the pews as a symbolic start to the work.

Over the next six months, there will be a new floor, new heating and lighting, new seating and new Heritage Interpretation, plus a new link building between the Church and Church House.

Ilkley-based Dobson Construction has been appointed as the main contractor. David Dobson said: “In 1981, Dobsons replaced the finials to the Church Bell Tower. Nearly four decades later we are proud as a local employer to work with the church on this major historical landmark. The proposed changes are quite visionary. We take this as a unique opportunity for our continued support for the local community. We are pleased to provide our “home grown” construction skills to enable the Church to continue to serve the needs of the congregation and community for the decades and centuries beyond.”

All Saints’ services will be held at the Clark Foley Centre while the work is taking place. The Rev Mike Coe said: “This is an exciting time for All Saints and we’re looking forward to moving back into the renovated church building when the work is completed. However, between then and now, the church will still be very active in the community. Everyone is welcome to join us as we meet at the Clarke Foley Centre. Our Sunday services are at 8am, 9.15am and 11am.”