Published on: 07/04/2026
St John’s Goole is playing its part in celebrating the town’s 200th birthday in 2026.
From 19-20 March, St John’s hosted part of ‘Shine on Goole’, where different parts of the town have been lit up. The building featured a music-led light projection show put together by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council as part of plans to commemorate the area throughout the year. Over 3,500 people were in attendance during the special event.
The show, A Port In Green Fields, featured a series of stories moving through 200 years of history, from its transition from marshland to the Company Town of the Aire and Calder Navigation Company, its ’age of sail’ and era of coal, steam and Tom Puddings right through to the present day.
The planning came together in a shorter timespan of eight weeks, as Revd Hannah Patton, Priest-in-Charge of St John’s explains:
‘I think it was sort of a “let’s go for it and see” approach as there was an amount of money from the council that needed spending by the end of March for the event. It’s an ideal partnership with the council because they bring the expertise and have contacts with different companies, but they also oversee the event. We didn’t have to put together a group of stewards or do a risk assessment because they covered all of that.’
The event highlighted an opportunity to create contact with more people in Goole, with many having had lots of positive contact with the church before beginning a faith journey. The light show included large amounts of visitors who also attend life events at St John’s, and free refreshments were put on in the hall afterwards.
Jonny Patton, Worship and Operations Director, explains this was also a chance to flag the church’s ambitious plans for the St John’s Community Hub project:
‘We’re always clear that our missional activities are not fundraising activities. Everything we do missional or ministry-wise, is free. But because this particular event wasn’t missional or ministry, we did take the opportunity to raise some funds as well. People gave generously, which was wonderful, and we were able to borrow a card machine from the Diocese.’
Hannah added:
‘This project is a great opportunity to break down barriers, secure the church for the next generation of worshippers and to see it grow’.
