An Altrincham church is throwing its doors open to local residents this Christmas as it offers a place of community for people who may otherwise be feeling lonely.
St George's Church, which overlooks the junction of Church Street and Woodlands Road, can trace its history back to the 18th century.
Since moving to the church in 2022, Rev. Claire Corley has forged closer connections with the Altrincham CE Primary School next door as well as making the church available for use by people and groups in the community, whatever their religious belief.
"Wherever you land on the faith spectrum, we want people to know that there is something here that they can connect with and receive from, because that is our reason to be," said Rev. Claire.
"Of course faith is important to us. But we're also here when you're just having a bad day and you want someone to visit and have a cuppa with."
Many people passing the church may admire the Victorian era spire and impressive stained glass windows from the road, but few know the range of activities that take place at St George's on a weekly basis.
Both the church and the detached vicarage are used for a range of community groups, from knitting and French conversation sessions to toddler and music groups.
"We also have a soup lunch every week where people can just sit and chat and get to know people. It's not linked to whether or not you come on a Sunday, but about creating community and a space for people to come together."
Rev. Claire, who is married to the Bishop of Stockport, the Right Reverend Sam Corley, is now in her eighth year as a vicar having previously been a history teacher at a school in the Lake District.
The couple have three children and she was ordained in 2017 in the Diocese of Leeds, having by then moved to Bradford for her two-year training period.
Ultimately the plan is for all the various community groups to move into the church - but she is determined that as many people as possible know about the fun and friendship going on within St George's.
"It's such an amazing space," added Rev. Claire, "it's warm, it's well maintained, it's beautiful, and, well, who wouldn't want to sit in it?"
She said that some people can just put up with loneliness at different stages of life.
"Parenting can be really lonely and hard work, and then at the other end of life, when you hit retirement, you've got a different sort of loneliness.
"Christmas feels like a good time of the year to maybe remind people about the benefits of coming together."
Across the road from St George's, the Cresta Court Hotel has recently been closed in order to act as a holding centre for asylum seekers.
St George's has already played a leading role in the support provided locally to migrants who arrived at the Ashley Hotel in Hale in 2023. A number of them went on to become regular parishioners at the church.
"I think it has really demonstrated who we really are," said Rev. Claire. "We had to turn on a pinhead with about two days' notice. We had people donating clothes, meeting them at the hotel, walking them from the hotel to here and greeting them in school."
"Some of them we really got quite close to but they've since been sent all over the country. For us, it was a really blessed time, and I think we were blessed by them as they were by us."
For more details about how to get involved at Ste George's, visit stgeorgesaltrincham.org.
