A REMARKABLE woman who was at the opening ceremony for an historic church as a child 90 years ago has celebrated the church’s birthday.

St Cynon’s Church commemorated 90 years of serving Friog and Fairbourne last weekend with a special service.

The Right Reverend Andrew John - Bishop of Bangor - was present along with MP Liz Saville Roberts and as the Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd, Ed Bailey.

Local nonagenarian Joyce Currie also spoke at the ceremony and told how she can remember the church being built as well as its opening ceremony.

“St Cynon’s is rather special to me, because we have grown up together. I was born in March 1925 and the foundations for this church were started in December of that same year,” she told the assembled masses on Sunday morning.

“The church was built by local labour, who quarried off the top of the hill to form a platform on which the walls were raised with the same quarried stone.

“I am so pleased we are celebrating 90 years so that I am able to be here - because by the time we reach 100, much as I love Fairbourne, I expect to be in an even more beautiful place, with my Lord Jesus.”

The Rev Lindsay Ford, an associate vicar in the Bro Cymer Ministry Area, added: “We were really looking forward to celebrating the 90th anniversary of St Cynon’s Church, which is a lovely building serving a very special community in Friog and Fairbourne. It was a great occasion.”

Right Rev John added: “It is always a good thing to remember anniversaries like this, because it gives us an opportunity to say thank you to God for the Christian witness and mission which has gone out from a particular building. It also gives us the opportunity to look ahead and to ask ourselves how we can honour the vision of the people who built St Cynon’s Church and continue to proclaim Jesus, the Gospel and God’s love to the community of Friog and Fairbourne in the future.”