A host of special events are taking place this weekend at a Lancashire church which is celebrating a special anniversary. 

The 'church on the hill' - St James', Blackburn - is marking 150 years of service to the local community and upcoming events include a livestreamed anniversary service to which all are welcome. 

The service at the church (on St James' Road, BB1 8EL) will be led by the Vicar, Rev. Sarah Gill alongside the Bishop of Blackburn, Rt Rev. Philip North and in the presence of the Mayor of Blackburn, Councillor Brian Taylor and other civic dignitaries. It begins at 10.30am. 

Before the service on Sunday, events begin on June 6 with a community afternoon tea from 2-4pm followed by the planting of a commemorative oak tree in the grounds on Friday, June 7. The tree will be planted jointly by older members of the congregation and children from the local CofE primary. 

Saturday, June 8, sees a whole day of 'open church' where the local community is welcome to visit and look around between 11am and 4pm. 

Then it's the 10.30am anniversary service on June 9 which will be livestreamed here on Facebook and simultaneously here on YouTube. Lunch will also be served after the service.

After this anniversary weekend, more events will be planned for later in the year. 

All the anniversary events will feature a logo (pictured above) which was produced specially for the year in a competition involving local schools held in 2023 in preparation for the big year. Read this story for more. 

Rev. Sarah Gill, pictured at St James, says: "It's a big weekend for us and we are looking forward to everything ahead. St James has served the people of Blackburn and shared the gospel message for 150 years and we want mark this important milestone well.

"We will welcome the Bishop, Mayor, current and past members of St James and many more to our Sunday anniversary service. After the service, we will serve lunch and all are most welcome to join us."