EIGHTEEN months of hard work has finally paid off for church-goers in Ramsbottom.

The Rev Gordon Hornblower has this week released ambitious plans for the new Christ Church Baptist Methodist building on Great Eaves Road. It will house the 70-strong congregation and become a neighbourhood community centre as well.

Since dry-rot forced the original 1874 church building on Ramsbottom Lane to close 18 months ago, the church has embarked on a massive fund-raising drive for the new building.

Now they have submitted detailed building plans to Bury Council.

It is estimated the building will cost £500,000, and the congregation are rallying round to raise the last £150,000.

Mr Hornblower took over the ministry as the old church building closed, and has overlooked the developments. Together with local architect Mr Jerry White, he has come up with a design for the building. He said: "The response by the congregation to the design has been brilliant, we are all pleased with it."

Building work is expected to start later this year, and church- goers are hoping to mark the opening of the new church in Easter 1999.

Once the building is up and running church leaders have said they will work closely with the health, social and education services to map out a comprehensive plan of use for the building.

Mr Hornblower said: "As well as using the church for worship and usual church activities, we want the building to be used as a community resource through which the church might address, in a practical way, certain community needs of, for example, the elderly, children and the youth."

THE appeal to raise the last £150,000 needed to build Christ Church was successfully launched last week at Dundee United Reformed Church.

Members of the Living History group entertained a packed audience by telling them the story of Bess of Hardwick who lived in Derbyshire in the time of Elizabeth 1. She was noted for her fascination with building and left a lasting monument in the shape of Hardwick Hall. The night raised £450.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.