The Church was originally built in 1895 to serve the needs of a growing community between the parishes of St Leonard to the north and St Saviour to the south. It is able to seat up to 200 people, with sixteen rows of pews in the nave, on either side of a central aisle. Part of the south transept has been altered to form a children’s crèche area, and a central nave altar is used for most Sunday morning services.
An Ainscough pipe organ sits to the south of the Chancel, adjacent to the choir pews. The organ has undergone previous refurbishment and is played occasionally.
During the previous Incumbency a Phoenix digital organ has been installed in the south transept, with speakers in the organ loft. This instrument was previously installed in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. The organ builder has received £2,000 to date towards the full cost of £8,000 required to acquire full ownership of the instrument by the PCC.
The Church has been re-carpeted, and a new gas fired boiler / radiator heating system was installed eleven years ago. New inner entrance doors were installed five years ago, constructed in oak with glass panels to admit extra light.
Two large television screens have been installed at either side of the entrance to the Chancel, to allow congregation members to follow Sunday services without traditional service sheets.
The upper section of the west wall was secured and tied back to the roof structure six years ago, in line with the requirements of the Quinquennial report and as specified by a structural engineer.
Lighting fittings in the Nave and Chancel are industrial units, but have recently been fitted with energy saving LED bulbs.
The building was completely re-wired with modern pyro wiring and fittings some twenty eight years ago.
The building is in a good state of repair, with no major works of alteration or maintenance under consideration in the near future. Minor roof leaks have occurred from time to time but have been repaired in a timely manner. A Fabric and Finance committee meets regularly to review maintenance needs and priorities.
A portable steel ramp provides for disability access, both at the main entrance and the chancel steps.
A full CCTV system has recently been installed which can be remotely monitored.
Five years ago the PCC agreed that the Church should remain open during the day for individual prayer and quiet time.
Current policy is to keep the building locked during winter months to minimise vandalism and weather damage.
For the last two years the PCC has agreed that regular Sunday and Wednesday services should be moved in to the Church Hall during the winter months, due to the significant increase in energy costs of heating and lighting the church building. When in use the Church and its brass work are cleaned weekly by dedicated volunteer teams.
The Church gardens are maintained to a high standard by a volunteer team who enjoy their work. There is no graveyard at St Aidan’s, but a small Garden of Remembrance is sited to the south of the nave; the ashes of many loved ones are interred here.
The Church sits in its own grounds, just off Station Road in Bamber Bridge. There is off road parking for 20-30 cars. Within the grounds there are two Halls, which are regularly used during the week by the local Community. There is also a Scout Hut, which is used by a scout group affiliated to St Aidan’s.
Within the last three years, the Community Larder, which serves the local community has been relocated to the grounds of St Aidan’s Church. South Ribble Borough Council funded the acquisition of a custom designed shipping container which is located alongside the larger of the two Halls. The Community Larder operates two mornings per week from this facility, and the main Hall (now renamed the Community Hub) provides a warm space with refreshments at the same time. Volunteers from both parishes of the Benefice provide this service on Monday mornings.
All Health and Safety measures have been put in place. The church is inspected on a regular basis.
