PARISHIONERS in the seaside village of Arnside have been celebrating their church's 150th anniversary.

The Bishop of Carlisle was among those giving thanks at St James' Church, where he preached on the theme of salt and dedicated a new wall hanging, embroidered with local landmarks by Pauline Taylor and Yvonne Service to mark the milestone.

The coastal place of worship - described by the Westmorland Gazette as "a neat and picturesque little edifice" - was consecrated on July 5, 1866. Since then, some 900 marriages and 1,000 baptisms have taken place at St James' and the building has been extended several times.

Around 100 villagers, including members of clubs and societies, gathered to toast the 150th anniversary with wine and cake, and to listen to the Rt Rev James Newcome, who told the congregation: "The church, like salt, has a worth and usefulness in society." Bishop James' theme was seen as especially relevant to Arnside, where salt pans in the estuary were a source of wealth and jobs in centuries past.

The church choir was joined by Arnside Choral Society members, who sang Vivaldi’s Gloria and Mendelssohn’s Thanks Be to God. Arnside's vicar, the Rev David Cooper, expressed hopes that the community would "look forward to the future, seeking to continue building a village which treasures peace, justice, mercy and love at the heart of everything we do".

Meanwhile, Arnside Bowling Club hosted its own celebrations with a fun bowling day, where nine teams played 72 games in seven hours. Arnside Football Club won, just ahead of Arnside Primary School's governors. The Albion pub, WI, firefighters, coastguards, school teachers, clergy and congregation also entered teams.

Bowling club chairman Ron Fishlock spent several hours working out the tournament schedule, and said: "It was all worth it, to see people who had never played bowls before clearly enjoying themselves in the sun."

This weekend the church, decorated by village societies, will host the St James' Festival, with guided tours, refreshments and day-long organ recitals on Saturday. Arnside Choral Society is to lead the singing on Sunday morning and the Archdeacon of Westmorland and Furness, the Ven Penny Driver, is the preacher.