OTLEY Methodist Church is pushing ahead with a recession-defying redevelopment project – with a bit of help from an award-winning celebrity.

Radio and TV presenter and author Stuart Maconie has agreed to headline a fundraising event later this year to help the church raise the £55,000 to £60,000 it needs to redevelop its foyer and front entrance.

A best-selling travel writer who has appeared on numerous hit shows including the BBC’s Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Mr Maconie will give what seems certain to be a sell-out talk at the church this autumn.

His involvement should give the whole scheme – which will add wheelchair ramps to and improve the look of the building’s Boroughate entrance and create two side rooms for baby changing/disabled toilets and food-serving facilities – a welcome financial boost.

The church has already raised about £12,000 through other successful fundraising events and £3,000 from grants, despite the recession.

Church minister, the Reverend Julian Pursehouse, is hoping the coffers will be swollen further when an open and gift day is held in the Grade II listed building next Saturday.

He said: “We’ll have a scale model on show on the day and hopefully that will help, because plans on paper can be a bit hard to digest and it’s difficult to imagine what the finished product will be.

“The model will give people a much clearer idea of what we want to achieve, which is to improve access at the main entrance and create these two functional rooms to provide baby-changing, disabled toilet and food serving facilities. We’ll also be opening up the look of the front of the church by replacing two hessian screens with glass, so passers-by will have a better idea of what is inside.

“Our thinking now is about open spaces, visibility and accessibility and we’re also going to be thinking of some new signage which would be inkeeping with the church but also, clearly, say ‘this is where we are’.

“We should be getting some more grants soon that will take our funds up to around the £25,000 mark, so we will still have a fair bit of our own fundraising left to do.

“The big gift day should help. We’ll have various presentations throughout the day from some of the many groups who use the church and we’re really hoping it will be a very enjoyable, family day.

“So far the reaction we have had for the scheme has been a good, positive one. It will cost a lot of money, between £55,000 and £60,000, although that’s very much a ‘guestimate’ at the moment. We’ll know better after the National Methodist Property Committee puts our plans to the Historic Properties Trust and the listed buildings people in July, because then we can go out to tender.

“We’ll be looking for the work to start next spring and to be completed within around two months.”

John Burland, who is in charge of fundraising for the project, is confident people will give generously despite the tough economic conditions. He said: “We recognise it’s a difficult time but I have said to people they can spread the giving if that’s easier, over a six or eight-month period, and we still know that way what the total donation will be by the end of the year.

“We have quite a unique facility here because it’s one of the few places in the area that can actually seat 500 people and so cater for really big events. The Otley and District Schools Road Safety Quiz is being held here tonight when something like 17 schools are taking part and they’re expecting around 400 people – there aren’t many other places locally that could accommodate that.”

It was Mr Burland who persuaded Mr Maconie, who he knew through his work with the Wainwright Society, to lend a hand. He said: “I just asked him and he checked his dates and then very kindly said yes, which is great for us. We’re still waiting on the final date but it will be in either October or November.”

The open and gift day takes place from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, June 27 and will include demonstrations by Chevin Handbell Ringers, the Chippendale Singers and the Kenshinkan Martial Arts Group, as well as children’s activities and refreshments.

Organ recitals and a wind quintet performance will also be held on the Sanctuary, with Otley’s MP Greg Mulholland and the Town Mayor, Councillor Gerard Francis, among the special guests.

Other forthcoming fundraising events scheduled for the church later this year will include afternoon teas with accompanying live music, a cookery demonstration and a folk evening.