It was a fine warm June day in 1951 when the foundation stone for the new Sunday School was laid by Lady Bates at a very impressive ceremony attended by the mayor and mayoress and conducted by the Rural Dean of Blackburn, Rev. Canon Bateson and our former vicar Mr H. W. Cragg. This was followed by tea where the hut and both vestries were required to accommodate everyone. The day was rounded off with a concert.

The new building was completed in record time. On November 3rd 1951 it was opened and dedicated by the Bishop of Blackburn, who also unveiled the Memorial Plaque engraved with the names of those from the parish who died in the second world war.

We were again to be blessed with the services of a curate in the shape of Peter Cartwright, who was welcomed into our midst in October of the same year. Peter was ultimately destined to serve on the mission field with BCMS in Uganda.

The death of the King meant that 1953 was Coronation year. In order to celebrate the year the PCC decided to set up a Coronation Fund with the specific aim of clearing the debt on the Sunday School, which stood at £1000. It was also planned to lay out the church garden as a Coronation garden. The proposal was to plant rose bushes and standard roses and also to have a row of flowering cherry trees the whole length of the garden in front of the church and school, in an attempt to get this "wilderness to blossom as a rose". There was to be a Mammoth Coronation procession on May 31st from the Market Square when we would join other churches from Blackburn. A whole week of celebrations would culminate in services of thanksgiving on Sunday June 7th . Some 60 people were able to watch the Coronation on 3 television sets installed in the vestries courtesy of Messrs. Bolton Bros of Grimshaw Park.

Rev. Philip Knight

After 8½ years as vicar and previously 4½ years as curate Mr Jenkins announced his move to Nottingham. The curate Peter Cartwright looked after the parish for most of the interregnum, until September when he too left us to follow God's call to Uganda. The new vicar was Rev. Philip Knight who was instituted on October 1st 1953.

Never let it be said that children from Church of the Saviour lack initiative. The June 1955 magazine tells how 7 Life boys gave an impromptu display at Longshaw Junior School. The boys led by one Anthony Walsh gave a display of maze marching and PT. And their leaders knew nothing about it until afterwards.

There still remained a debt of £300 on the hall and the vicar asked for one final push to clear it on Gift Day when the preacher would be Mr Jenkins, under whose leadership the building had been begun. It was with great joy and thanksgiving that the Gift Day total was, typically, in excess of £400. Showing us yet again that God is no man's debtor.

Youth Fellowship continued to flourish with regular house parties and holidays. In 1956 the younger members spent a happy holiday at Herne Bay Court on the SE coast of Kent.

It was rumoured that the senior members were trying to organise a trip to the moon but were having difficulty locating a suitable space ship. (True to form, they obviously don't improve with keeping).

It was in 1956 that the History of the Parish was serialised in the magazines written by Herbert Bell, this was later produced as a booklet.

The Church of the Saviour has always sought to maintain a Biblical set of standards and values, and when these appear to be threatened has never been afraid to stand up and be counted. So when The Shops Bill (Sunday trading) was re-introduced into Parliament in 1957 Mr. Knight wrote in the church magazine, "These concessions are un necessary, would lead to more Sunday desecration and are not wanted. We call upon church folk to pray about this and to make their feelings known to our M.P.

Around the same time the higher echalons of the C of E were voting on a revision of some of the Canons (church law) of 1603, many of which were now out of date. However, some of the revisions were felt to be unscriptural and were leaning too far towards Rome. A special prayer meeting was called during the week of the voting was to take place.

It was later announced that the Shops Bill had been shelved for the present and some of the revised Canons had been amended and re-worded.

The steady stream of people going into full time service of the church continued, with Michael Maudesley, Arthur Whittaker, Tom Edmundson going to Theological College. Doreen Hodkinson became our first lady missionary, when she went to Thailand with CIM and Eileen Milligan went off to train in Bristol before going as a Missionary nurse to Uganda.

Rev. Peter Tong

In December 1958 Mr. Knight announced his departure to Staffordshire and at Easter 1959 Peter Tong arrived to take up the reins. It soon became apparent that he had a vision for the top end of the parish, with the suggestion that a church worker should live up there and even the possibility of a Mission Church.

The following year saw the arrival of our next curate Robert (Bob) Rudd. It was a busy year 1960 with amongst other things boys being admitted to the choir and the launch of Cabin Boys under the leadership of Mrs Tong. Plans were also made for 1961 which was, for those who are good at maths, the church's Diamond Jubilee.