A CHURCH is inviting its neighbourhood to join its 140th anniversary celebrations.

Holy Infant and St Anthony's Parish Church in Baxendale Street, Astley Bridge, will celebrate the milestone on Friday with a mass led by the Bishop of Salford, John Arnold.

as opened as a Mission Parish in 1877 and until 1978 was served by priests from St Mary's in Bolton.

Currently the parish priest is Fr. Billy Malloy and the school headteacher is Helen McGrath

Former parish priests will also attend. The mass starts at 7pm.

There will also be a concert with the Knights of Harmony and the school and parish choir on December 1 in the church at 7pm.

Sharon Courtney, a member of the church choir, said: "This will be a parish, school and community celebration and hopefully we will set the foundations for the parish to continue to grow over the next 140 years.

"The church is a focal point of the community — it welcomes so many different people, from so many different religions."

Members of the church are also keen for people to send their memories and pictures from the past 140 years. They have set up a Facebook group for people to discuss and share memories and reach out to those who now live in other parts of the UK and abroad: facebook.com/groups/1972110939733722