Dukinfield church is at the centre of the community

St Mark’s Church in Dukinfield has been described as a ‘hidden gem’.

The place of worship, just off Railway Street, operates a ‘community first’ mindset.

From parish barbecues and themed film nights to Craft and Chat groups and Christmas tree festivals, congregations at the Dukinfield church excel in creating a friendly, welcoming environment for the surrounding community.

Rev Karl Williams, who has been based at St Mark’s for four years, said: “There’s a genuine sense of warmth and friendship here.

“It’s bigger than religion and it’s bigger than just rocking up on a Sunday and saying prayers - it’s about being part of a community.”

Rev Williams said it is a ‘privilege’ to be part of such an active community, adding that he is ‘blessed’ with a congregation of ‘lovely, smashing people’.

He explained: “The railings were damaged in the car park a few weeks ago.

“We were worried about the kids hurting themselves as they were playing by them.

“I put a post out on Facebook saying we’re more than happy with the children playing and using the grounds, it’s a beautiful area and they’re lovely kids, but to just let them know not to mess with the railings as they clearly needed a spot of weld.

“I posted that at 8pm and by 10am the following morning, there was a man there with a welding machine.”

Elected member Sandra Austin said: “I was christened at this church; I’m of a generation where you grew up here and then brought your children along, followed by your grandchildren.

“My children have all moved away so I couldn’t do that, but I know other people who’ve had that opportunity and it’s so lovely to see.”

The church organises multiple events, which are open to all, whether they attend church services or not.

Rev Williams added: “Lots of the people who come to these groups we run don’t come to the church, but it isn’t a necessity at all - we’re more than happy to accommodate those who are just wanting to belong to something. It’s just about being friends.

“When we went into the pandemic lockdown, we responded quite vigorously to it.

“We sat down as a group and looked at how much money we had in the bank and how long we felt we could last before we financially collapsed.

“We estimated around six months and yet here we are, with more in the bank than we started out with - even after writing cheques during lockdown to support local charities and businesses.”

They recently held a parish barbecue which attracted ‘well over 100 people’.

“There seems to be a mentality in lots of organisations similar to ours, where they’ll just get whatever they can make do with or whatever is cheapest, but we really focus on getting the best quality that we can,” he said.

“Tickets are a suggested donation of £1, and then by default some people may put in a little extra if they can afford that, but nobody’s watching or judging.”