Mayor At Church Celebration

The 90th anniversary of the laying of St Hugh’s Church foundation stone has been celebrated by town mayor Fiaz Ahmed and parishioners.

The church, in Ruskin Road, was founded in 1933 and the building was completed and dedicated on the 10 October that year.

Churchgoer Fred Riches said: “The church was open for coffee and tea and we organised a mini-celebration of the laying of the foundation stone with a cake and a sing-song.

“We were honoured that Cllr Ahmed was passing and called in – and we explained the celebration and showed him the foundation stone.

“We suggested a photograph and he kindly offered to dash home, grab his chain of office and come back.

“He gave a short speech and joined us for a slice of cake and coffee.”

Cllr Ahmed said: “It was a wonderful, purely by chance, opportunity to be part of such a momentous occasion. St Hugh’s is an important part of the local community and has a remarkable history.

“I think I broke the all-time record for the time between the request and appearance of a town mayor at an engagement – less than 40 minutes.”

The main celebrations of St Hugh’s 90th Anniversary will be in October on the anniversary of the dedication service.