Barrow’s mayor Cllr Hazel Edwards was used to being surrounded by children in the classroom so she and her mayoress Anne Redhead were entirely at home when they opened St John’s Church summer fundraising event in the Vicarage Garden in James Watt Terrace in Barrow Island in 1993.

The Mail reported that hundreds of people turned up to enjoy themselves. And there was plenty to do and see they were entertained by the Sea Cadets’ Marching Band and tots from the Imperial School of Dancing.

There were also games, contests and all the fun of the fair.

In March 2004, The Mail reported that one of Barrow’s best-known sights was gearing up for a grand reopening.

St John’s Church, in Barrow Island, had been closed since the previous September for essential restoration works.

Since then, services had been held in Barrow Island Community Development Centre in Barrow Island Primary School, until the church was reopened in February.

The Vicar of St John’s, the Rev Di Hervey said: “It’s looking beautiful.

“To start with, the roof doesn’t leak any more and we have nice new spotlights”.

The total cost of the renovations was expected to come to around £350,000.

The Rev Hervey said: “We had a very generous grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and we also wrote away for a number of other charitable grants.

“Over and above this there has been a great deal of work done in the community and we are very grateful.”

Two special events were being organised to mark the reopening of the church.

The first involved the children of Barrow Island Primary School.

The second would be with the Bishop of Penrith, the Rt Rev James Newcombe.

The restoration project included a high glass partition, which had created a separate space within the church.

In 2005 The Mail reported that Miss Hevey hoped the community would hold art and craft exhibitions and school meetings in it.