AN INAUGURAL ‘church trail’ was held at St Bridget’s Church in Bridgerule on Thursday, May 24, set up by two local residents.

Pat and Alec Johnston, from Bridgerule, have been working for over 12 months, with the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Society (NADFAS), to develop a ‘church trail’ in their area.

About 25 years ago NADFAS decided to record the many, varied and often ancient artefacts found within historic churches nationwide.

Evolving from that process, the church trails began around ten to 15 years ago. The trails aim at introducing eight to ten year old primary school pupils, in the company of an adult, to local heritage and the treasure that can be found within a church. They introduce children to art, architecture, church furnishings and history by following a questionnaire around the church. These manageable and achievable church trails leave a legacy in churches, not only for children but also for anyone visiting the church to enjoy and learn for many years to come.

There are now approximately 200 NADFAS trails nationwide. Although they were initially devised for churches, their scope and range has now widened and trails have been completed in a gurdwara and a synagogue and a sensory trail is being developed for people living with dementia.

Pat and Alec decided to take on the challenge of devising a trail for their local church. With considerable assistance from Canon Tim Newcombe, who is the Dartmoor Fine and Decorative Arts and national NADFAS representative, 15 months from taking that decision the church trail was launched on May 24.

Class 3 pupils from Bridgerule C of E (VC) Primary School, with class teacher Ms Emily Carpenter, completed the first trail. Whilst most of the pupils are familiar with the building, having previously visited it with the school or for personal events it is hoped, on this special occasion, they returned to school with more in depth knowledge of their local parish church.

Deputy mayor Cllr Colin Punter attended the launch and Mother Elizabeth Burke, priest-in-charge of the Holsworthy Benefice, gave the final blessing.