On Mother’s Day, 26 March the people of Christ Church, Aughton are celebrating their 150 years anniversary with a special 10.45 family service.

This will be attended by the Mayor of West Lancashire, Cllr Liz Savage, Rosie Cooper MP along with the Chair and members of the Aughton Parish Council, and the Bishop of Liverpool, Rt. Rev Paul Bayes (above) will be speaking, with a special banner marking the anniversary unveiled during the service.

This will be the exact day, 26 March, when the Bishop of Chester laid the foundation stone in 1867. Back then, a hermetically sealed bottle, containing copies of newspapers including the Ormskirk Advertiser, was placed in the customary cavity under the stone - during the ceremony the crowd caught a glimpse of The Great Eastern steaming out of Liverpool.



The Ormskirk Advertiser wrote: “Aughton is with easy reach of Liverpool and merchants from that world-renowned seaport, who wish for a country seat where they can take their families away from the foul and murky atmosphere of the big town, could scarcely pitch upon a more suitable spot.”

The church was built in ‘flowering decorated’ style with the stone quarried locally in the Aughton Delph.

Current Vicar, Canon Ross Moughtin, told QLocal yesterday: “This is an opportunity to thank God for his faithfulness over 150 years of ministry at Christ Church as we seek to share Jesus with everyone, beginning in our community.”