The 12 months of Longton

A Lancashire village's best offerings have been captured to help raise funds for its community church.
St Andrew's Church, LongtonSt Andrew's Church, Longton
St Andrew's Church, Longton

Photography enthusiast Jon Bates and his wife Catherine have been busy snapping the best shots of Longton to create a calendar, with funds going to help replace the windows in St Andrew’s Church Hall.Jon, 44, said: “My family goes to St Andrew’s Church in Longton and we were aware of fund-raising efforts for the adjacent church hall, which is used by the community for numerous activities, such as pantomimes, craft fairs, Rainbows, zumba classes. “My initial idea was to produce a church calendar, but this quickly developed into a village calendar - which hadn’t been done before (and to raise more money). “I covered the production costs by including small adverts for local businesses. “My wife Catherine and I took all the photos and designed the whole thing using an online calendar printing company. “The pictures were local buildings and places of interest - the churches, the Brickcroft nature reserve, the old village stocks, etc - all recognizably Longton.Feedback from members of the church and the wider community has been great, and I’ve really enjoyed the project - I’m already planning the 2018 calendar.”

The calendars are on sale at Blundells, Spar and Booths, and cost £5.

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