Church relocates to new site after 130 years

A £3m church building, which has been in the planning for more than two decades, will open its doors on Sunday.

Sunbridge Road Mission in Bradford is relocating after 130 years to a newly built church at a site on Thornton Road.

Church leaders said they hoped the new building would provide a more modern space for the hundreds of worshippers who attend, and expand its community work.

Pastor Matthew Pilkington said: "There are an increasing number of people living in this area, so it is needed. The aim is to have a place everyone feels they can come to."

The congregation moved to the building during a service last month but it will officially open with a service this afternoon.

The original church building had expanded by extending into six back-to-back cottages, meaning it could not easily be modernised.

Pilkington said: "The building is a lot more welcoming and accessible. We made the older place work, but you didn't realise how inaccessible it was until you get into this new space."

The new building, which was previously used for car storage, has a large hall, stage, sound system and seating for 350 people, as well as a community space and kitchen.

There will also be space for counselling, a library, breakout rooms, a children's playroom and a large car park.

The church is continuing to fundraise a further £150,000 to pay off the building work and is also selling its old building, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.