A special anniversary cake was cut at Leek Seed Methodist Church in St Blazey Gate to commemorate the chapel’s milestone 200th anniversary.
One of the oldest chapels in Cornwall, its members marked the official date of the anniversary with a well-attended tea in the Sunday school hall, this being followed by a service taken by the minister, the Rev Paul Benney.
The cake, cut by Leek Seed steward Colin Grigg, was baked by Carol Cockman and iced by Christine Kitt.
During the service which followed, members of the 1st Leek Seed Girls’ Brigade gave a presentation featuring chapel founder 'Gardener William Stephens' while a bicentennial banner they had made for the occasion was hung behind them, from the pulpit.
The next major event at the church, which opened in 1824, will be a Festival of Flowers and Memorabilia which will run from Friday to Sunday (April 26 to 28). There will be a 2pm opening on the first day, with Biscovey Junior School choir taking part.
The times for the other two days are 11am-6pm on Saturday when the president of the Methodist Conference, the Rev Gillian Newton, will unveil a plaque and 1pm-5pm on Sunday, this following a combined 11am service, led by the Rev Canon Paul Arthur, and a “bring and share” lunch.
The flower festival will also feature a display of quilts, and the opportunity to discover more about the history of the names embedded in bricks in the Sunday school hall, itself 100 years old this year.
Local resident Nigel Cheshire has researched the history behind the names, these being those who donated money to enable the hall to be built.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the St Austell area, as part of the Bethel Methodist Church choir celebrations, there will be a concert this weekend.
The concert will take place at the Bethel church on Saturday (April 27) at 7pm and be given by Halwyn a Gan.
Their musical director is Heather Vaughan and the accompanist is David Hendry.
The concert will be followed by a faith supper. Admission is free but there will be a collection for Bethel choir funds.