Shipley Baptist Church unveils new banner for Easter 

The new banner features the Risen Lord Jesus alongside several specific local references

A team of people from Shipley Baptist Church worked through Lent on a new banner for the worship room.

Led by deacon, Katie Jones, who is a community artist with Cecil Green Arts, a Bradford-based arts group, a group of people assembled each Thursday evening to design and paint a new banner for the worship room.

The banner was unveiled on Easter Sunday at a service of baptism with communion.

The banner features the Risen glorified Christ with arms outstretched in blessing. Also featured are Christian symbols including the cup and plate and the scallop shell of pilgrimage. Instruments used in the Shipley church Worship Band also feature.

Incorporated into the banner are features of Shipley and the World Heritage village of Saltaire developed in the 1800s by Sir Titus Salt, a Congregationalist who wanted to provide his workers with a model village including hospital, community hall, alms houses, school and a College.

His internationally famous Salt's Mill is featured on the banner together with an alpaca. Salt developed the mill and village to spin and weave the wool of alpacas imported into Liverpool and delivered to his mill initially by the Leeds to Liverpool Canal, but later by train.

Also featured on the banner is the white rose, county symbol of Yorkshire, a cherry blossom tree for the local Robert's park and wild flowers typical of the local moorland landscape.

Katie commented, 'We took inspiration from the overall design by looking at other artwork on a similar theme but we wanted to give our banner a local flavour.

'It has references to local buildings, and symbolic references to Yorkshire, like the white rose and the alpacas of Saltaire.

'It also contains references to Jesus and music and nature. The banner was made by several people from SBC including adults and children.'