Parish litter pick as All Saints’, Antrim, looks forward to reopening services in November

Monday June 22nd 2026

All set to get to work!

The tower restoration project at All Saints’ Parish Church in Antrim has been generously awarded £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The vicar of All Saints’, the Ven Dr Stephen McBride, said: “Parishioners and members of the community are delighted to see that the scaffolding is now in place at the tower and the restoration work is in full progress.

“We are fully optimistic that the external work to the tower and the internal fire restoration work will be completed to allow us to have an opening service for our parishioners on November 8. We are also planning a civic celebration for those who are not parishioners but have generously supported all our efforts. This will take place on November 29 at which the Archbishop of Armagh will be present.”

One of the four strands that applications to the National Lottery Heritage Fund must fulfil is that the project will help protect the environment. In March 2025, parishioners and members of 5th Antrim Scouts, in conjunction with the Woodland Trust, planted 2,000 sapling trees and there are plans to rewild part of the church’s graveyard in 2027.

More than 60 people took part in the parish litter pick.

On Sunday June 21, upwards of 60 parishioners took part in a litter pick around the town centre, Antrim Castle grounds, Station Road and Oriel Road.

The Rev Peter Blake earlier contacted Councillor Paul Dunlop who helped to secure funding from Antrim and Newtownabbey Council to supply litter pickers, protective gloves and bags.

Archdeacon McBride said: “Thankfully the weather was on our side and over 55 bags of litter were collected. As an incentive, the Peter hid some golden lemonade bottles and several intrepid young litter pickers were rewarded with chocolate bars and Amazon vouchers.

“The hot dogs and ice creams, supplied by the Yew Tree deli, were greatly appreciated by the litter pickers. The costs were generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.”

Rhoda Walker from Positively Antrim attended the litter pick and encouraged parishioners to join future community litter picks which she hopes to arrange, with Archdeacon McBride saying the parish litter pick will ‘definitely become an annual event!’