WORSHIPPERS in Ryde will celebrate returning to their refurbished church building on Palm Sunday.

A project to renovate the historic All Saints Church, Ryde, will be completed by the end of March. Two services of celebration will happen at the start of Holy Week to mark the next chapter of this church’s development.

There will be a traditional Palm Sunday service at 9:30am on March 29th and then an informal service with groups for children and young people at 11am that day. They’ll celebrate the renewal of the All Saints Church building, which aims to serve Ryde for generations to come.

They’ll appreciate the new underfloor heating, the new limestone floor, a new audio-visual system and a modern cafe area at the back of the nave. They’ll also see some of the church’s original pews that have been carefully sanded and repaired for continued use, alongside new chairs.

The church was closed last autumn for services while the repairwork took place, with services mostly taking place in the adjoining church hall. A second phase of renovation work will take place in that hall and to create new toilet facilities later in 2026.

The team rector, the Rev Heath Monaghan, said: “This really is a new beginning. The building has been refreshed, but what excites us most is what God is doing in our growing, welcoming community.

“We have activities for all ages – kids, youth, families, young adults – and whether you’ve never been to church before or haven’t been in a while, we’d love you to come and see. You might be surprised at what you find.

“We are really excited that we can go back into our main worship space for our services, especially in the week leading up to Easter Sunday. It’s a special time in the Christian year, and we’ll enjoy re-opening the doors and gathering in our main worship space. And we know that this refurbishment will make a huge difference as we seek to develop this church community to serve Ryde now and in future generations.

“Our vision has always been to create some more modern facilities while at the same time preserving the rich heritage of All Saints Church. The more flexible furniture, level flooring and effective heating will allow us to use the building more easily for midweek community groups.

“The project was designed with careful consultation and collaboration, including detailed on-site consultation with the Victorian Society. That allowed us to put together a renovation plan that retained details such as the central cross of Victorian tiles and 60 of the original pews.”