A CHURCH in Newton Abbot is celebrating its 50th anniversary next month
April will mark 50 years since Shaldon Road Methodist Church opened its doors.
The milestone will be marked by a re-dedication service led by Reverend Malcom Benton at 3pm on Saturday, April 5.
The short service will be followed by an afternoon tea party.
Back in the 1970s, when the Buckland estate was being built, there was no church in the vicinity, the closest methodist churches were in Newton Abbot proper.
A double-decker bus would be sent to Buckland to bring children to Sunday school.
It is thought that the land on which Shaldon Road Methodist Church was built, was bought off the council for just £1.
Fast forward to the present, the church has an active and healthy congregation, with ‘Fish and Chip Fridays’ and a popular parent and toddlers group, ‘Rainbow Tots’.