Memorial Plaque and Church Work.

My Grandparents had been active members of the Methodist Church from childhood and had played a major part in the life of Billingham Methodist Central Hall since its opening in 1932. My Mam had been the Organist for 60 years+ and had played the church pipe organ at Billingham Methodist Central Hall for many years. She had had a busy and engaging life in the church and as a young family, we were all involved at the time in the many organisations from Boys Brigade, choirs, and youth clubs. As the years have gone on the church members became fewer and a lot of her friends, peers, and fellow members moved or had passed on. Eventually, in 1989, Billingham Methodist Central Hall was closed and Mam’s beloved organ was dismantled but resurrected in Ryhope Methodist church some years later. A smaller church of South Billingham was opened and Mam continued to take an active part in the church, continuing to play the smaller electric organ until her late Eighties. She gave up playing due to arthritis in her hands. She wanted to give up playing the organ on her terms “playing all the right notes in all the right places with the volume up high”. Sadly South Billingham closed in 2018 leaving only North Billingham chapel serving the Methodist community in the town.

Throughout the time of the Churches in the area of South Billingham, our family had added to its history and its items of memory and worship. My Dad had been the caretaker of the Billingham Methodist Central Hall building up until his death and I had taken over for a short period of time fixing the many windows that were regularly broken.

My Grandad was the Captain (Skip)of the Boys Brigade for many years and my Dad, Uncle, and many old family friends had enjoyed many a good camp in the area and parade nights. My Mam had been in charge of the Life Boys Group as well as my Grandma being an integral part of the church family life.

A pair of hymn boards were made by my Grandad for Billingham Methodist Central Hall.

The cross was made by myself when Billingham Methodist Central Hall closed and was made from the banister rails that went down the side of the organ to the choir vestry.

The 1932 Memorial Plaque was turned by myself from an insert of the communion table that was made for the church by my grandparents.

Billingham South church was rewired by my oldest brother before it opened in 1990.

My Mam was an excellent seamstress who created many banners for the church, this being the only one I have a photo of.

The Last Memorial

When Central Hall closed, the land was bought and Billingham Green Care Home took its place. When my Mam was 90 I was trying to think about what to get her. The house would be full of flowers and she didn’t eat too much, so sweets and tasty treats would be out, so what to get her? I had been watching Country file and they had an appeal to plant a tree. It seemed like a big idea, strange, but not out of character for me. After all, a Cherry Tree was a perpetual bunch of flowers and in the current climate, we needed trees. The idea was to plant it near one of the houses we had lived, but then Mam asked if it could be planted on The Green, in Billingham as a memorial to the church as nothing marked the area. It would have lasted 5 minutes on the green area as the council might not have recognised it for what it was. We asked the Manager at the Home and they were only too happy to oblige. A memorial plaque was designed and made and placed in the grounds of the home in 2021.