The Friends of St Leonard’s charity is now more than 30 years old. It was set up in 1995 when the tower was threatened with closure as it was dangerous. One of the founding members, Harry Birtley, who’s now in his nineties, spoke movingly at an event in the church to mark the milestone. Trustees and supporters from throughout those years enjoyed an afternoon of reminiscing, cream teas and sparkling wine. The current chair of Trustees, Tim Wright, thanked the founding members for their vision in setting up the charity. He stressed the importance of continuing to raise funds to ensure the long term future of the beautiful church which dates back more than 900 years.