Carol marks church's 'special place in community'

A new Christmas carol has been created as part of a bid to raise awareness about restoration of a 800-year-old church.

Ballaugh Old Church Children's Carol was written by Caroline Devlin and inspired by the community venue, which dates back to 1231.

The building closed during the pandemic but was reopened at weekends 18 months ago when the Friends of Ballaugh Old Church was created.

Ms Devlin said the inspiration for the song came when she was cleaning the church and found herself thinking about what a "special place it was at the heart of the community".

She said the tune and lyrics "popped into" her head and, after receiving approval from her children, she approached Ramsey musician David Kilgallon to orchestrate it.

They then recorded the carol, which features children from the village.

Ms Devlin said as a theatre director and former actor she had written music for shows previously, and sings regularly.

Since its creation, group had run events at the venue, carried out rewilding of the backyard with the help of the Manx Wildlife Trust and re-opened the building itself.

The site, which had closed for two years during the pandemic, now opens on weekends from 10:00 to 15:00 GMT, and while it does not hold regular services, it can be booked for weddings or funerals.

The group is currently trying to raise £10,000 to restore the church's weathervane, which dates back to 1707, as well as to repainting the building, and installing a compostable toilet in a nearby field.

The friends project to bring the church back into use had "brought the community together", Ms Devlin said.

Christmas was her "favourite time of year" and it "brings out the best in people and gives people a chance to reflect on their communities", she added.

She said she hoped the carol would become an annual feature at the community church.

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