Christmas star church in Coventry set for local listed status
A former Baptist church that has featured a distinctive Christmas star is set to be locally listed.The Hearsall Baptist Church, on Queensland Avenue in Coventry, first opened as a Sunday School in 1928 and became a church in 1938.The building, which traditionally has a popular "Star of Hope" illuminated on its tower for Christmas, was nominated for locally-listed status last year.Coventry City Council is due to discuss the nomination at a meeting on Thursday, and a report submitted to the local authority has recommended that it endorses the listing.
The listing applies to the Baptist church's original building, also known as Hearsall Church Hall, and not the modern-day church building on the same site.If a building has locally-listed status, its heritage must be considered in any proposed redevelopment, although the move does not afford full statutory protection.
'Local identity'
The church was nominated for local listing after a petition calling for the move attracted over 1000 signatures. Council officers said the Hall's "artistic and architectural value" meant the nomination should get the green light.They added that the building also contributed to a sense of "local identity".Many respondents to the public consultation focused on their attachment to the Star of Hope, rather than the Hall itself, the report said.The local listing would only cover the building as the star is "a moveable fixture", but the council had been made aware of a commitment from the church's new owners to ensure the star continues to be a local monument, the report said.
Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
21 minutes ago
- Telegraph
One-pan steak with mushrooms, peas and greens
Steak can feel like quite the luxury, so I love it when it's on special offer and I can make a relaxed dinner that still feels special. While I'm not against the steak-and-chips combo, the colour of the peas here along with the other green veg helps to lift the crème fraîche and mustard – with the natural juices, they make a sauce with minimal effort. Overview Prep time 10 mins Cook time 35 mins Serves 2 Ingredients 400g steak (sirloin, ribeye, hanger or skirt all work well) 2 tbsp olive oil 500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 1 onion, sliced 250g cavolo nero, spring greens or kale, shredded 250g frozen peas 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 200-300ml crème fraîche Handful of chopped parsley, to garnish (optional) Method Step Rub the 400g steak all over with ½ tbsp of the oil and then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside. Step Dry fry the 500g sliced mushrooms in a large frying pan until they've released their liquid and it has evaporated. Step Drizzle in 1 tbsp of the oil and continue to fry the mushrooms until browned a little. Step Remove the mushrooms from the pan, leaving behind as much of the oil as possible. Step Fry the steak in the pan, cooking it for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on how well cooked you like it. Remove the steak from the pan and leave to rest. Step Add the remaining ½ tbsp oil to the pan, then stir in the sliced onion and fry for 6-8 minutes or until beginning to brown. Step Stir 250g greens into the pan along with the mushrooms and 75ml water. Fry for 3-4 minutes or until the greens have started to wilt. Step Slice the steak into strips and add to the pan, along with any liquid released.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
I've spent £8k on gorgeous escort and don't regret it but I'm dreading day I won't be able to afford her
DEAR DEIDRE: MY regular meetings with a gorgeous escort over the past couple of years have been amazing, but now I'm down to my last savings and I'm dreading the day I won't be able to afford her. So far, I've spent nearly £8,000 and I can honestly say I don't regret a penny. I'm a man of 41 and have a partner who is 39. She can no longer have sex after her pelvis and spine were damaged in a car crash and it is too painful for her. I love her and care for her, and have accepted my life will never change. But one day, a friend told me about an escort agency he uses. He goes to corporate events and sometimes needs somebody to go with him. He said that sex is always available as a bonus. I got in touch with the agency and arranged a meeting with one woman in a pub. She was lovely and told me she was 30 and single and she was doing the job to pay for her studies. I enjoyed chatting to her, but then we went back to her flat for sex and it was incredible. I'd not had sex for six years, so it was over quickly, but she didn't rush me out. We've had a weekly arrangement ever since. It's not all about the sex, it's about me putting on a nice outfit, wearing aftershave and talking to somebody who has a genuine interest in me. It does wonders for my confidence. I can't wait to get off the train when I'm going to meet her, but I feel sad when I leave. Now I've realised all my savings are nearly gone. I'm going to miss seeing her so much. Dear Deidre on relationships, jealousy and envy DEIDRE SAYS: Your feelings for this woman and the comfort she brings are very real, but you are cheating on your partner. You dress up and wear an aftershave. Your partner may have noticed and is turning a blind eye, but that's a pitiful situation. The one person who loves you and who can give you some sexual intimacy is your partner. It doesn't have to be full intercourse. Talk to her about how best you can deal with her situation and see if you can come up with a good compromise. Dress up for her and take her out. It may reignite that spark between you. For support with sex therapy, find a counsellor via The College of Psycho-sexual and Relationship Therapists ( 020 8106 9635). SHOULD I GO BACK TO OLD FLAME? DEAR DEIDRE: ALL of my feelings from when I was a teenager came flooding straight back after my first love sent me a friend request on Instagram. I'm a man of 49 and I lost my wife last year to cancer. She was 55. I've always loved the girl from my teens. Back then, she was from the posh side of town. Christmas was coming and she started talking to me about her family celebrations. Compared with mine, it was in another league. I was 16 and I had a paper round so it would be hard for me to buy her even the smallest gift. I was such a coward, I ended the relationship and she was upset. I'm tempted to accept the friend request and tell her I'm sorry. DEIDRE SAYS: You could do, but what are you really hoping to achieve? You may relieve yourself of some long-standing guilt, but is that all it is about or are you looking to take your relationship back? You're both so very different now and it's likely you may have even less in common. Enjoy going out with friends, and see this woman, but please be aware that as you are so recently bereaved, you will also be very vulnerable. Try to take things slowly. If you feel you need some bereavement counselling, contact (0808 164 4572), which offers six weeks of free support. SHUNNED BY FELLA OVER SAUCY TEXT FROM MY EX DEAR DEIDRE: SINCE my ex sent me a saucy text 18 months ago, my boyfriend has refused me any decent sex. I'm a woman of 28 and my boyfriend is 31. We've been together for three years. During Christmas 2023, an ex boyfriend sent me a WhatsApp message saying he wished that he was having sex with me. I thought it was funny. I don't know whether he was drunk or not, but I showed it to my boyfriend. I did it so that he'd know others still found me attractive and he would feel lucky to have me. But the whole thing backfired. He accused me of flirting with this ex, but I never responded to the message. Since then, I've tried to come on to my boyfriend, but he pushes me away. He'll have a quickie with me in the morning, but that's all. The pleasure is all his. How can I get him back to being loving again? DEIDRE SAYS: Do you want to be with somebody who is demonstrating so much jealousy? He may have felt upset that you'd receive a text like that, but this is going way beyond a grudge. He's having sex when he wants but is constantly disrespecting your feelings. You'll have to tell him you want this relationship to work, but not like this. He either allows sex to be enjoyable for you both, or you may have to think if he's worth sticking around for. MY DRUNK TEEN FOUND BY POLICE DEAR DEIDRE: MY 14-year-old daughter was brought home in a police car after being found drunk and asleep on a bench in the middle of town. She's constantly going to parties. A friend told me that the last party she was invited to was so loud that the police were called and kids were found having sex in bedrooms. There was drinking and drug-taking and two teenagers were arrested. My daughter went to yet another party last Saturday and, when she wasn't home at three in the morning and her phone was dead, I panicked. I called the police, who luckily found her on their way to me. She was unsteady and intoxicated, but I was so relieved to get her home. The next morning, despite her hangover, I gave her a telling off and she came out with a load of expletives and left the house again. I'm her divorced mum, aged 36. I split up with her dad because he was violent towards me. I also have a son who is 12. The kids saw a lot of what went on before I divorced. I'm now worried my son may rebel, too. DEIDRE SAYS: This is a stressful time for you. Your daughter sounds unhappy and she's pushing the boundaries and trying to understand where she fits in with her friends. Find a moment when you're both calm to tell her you're worried about her. Explain a thing or two about how things were when you were 14 and the mistakes you made. If she can see you were once a teenager, too, she may listen. Your job is to protect her, so draw up some boundaries between you, where she is part of seeing what's fair. Involve her in the decision making to help her learn to develop and make positive choices. My support pack, Troubled Teens, is full of extra tips to help.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Lottery results LIVE: National Lottery Set For Life draw tonight, June 16, 2025
THE National Lottery Set For Life numbers are in and it's time to find out if you've won the top prize of £10,000 every month for 30 years. Could tonight's jackpot see you start ticking off that bucket list every month or building your own start-up as a budding entrepreneur? 1 You can find out by checking your ticket against tonight's numbers below. Good luck! The winning Set For Life numbers are: 01, 15, 34, 35, 38 and the Life Ball is 05. The first National Lottery draw was held on November 19 1994 when seven winners shared a jackpot of £5,874,778. The largest amount ever to be won by a single ticket holder was £42million, won in 1996. Gareth Bull, a 49-year-old builder, won £41million in November, 2020 and ended up knocking down his bungalow to make way for a luxury manor house with a pool. £1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history's biggest lottery prize £1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline £633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin £625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017 £575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018 Sue Davies, 64, bought a lottery ticket to celebrate ending five months of shielding during the pandemic — and won £500,000. Sandra Devine, 36, accidentally won £300k - she intended to buy her usual £100 National Lottery Scratchcard, but came home with a much bigger prize. The biggest jackpot ever to be up for grabs was £66million in January last year, which was won by two lucky ticket holders. Another winner, Karl managed to bag £11million aged just 23 in 1996. The odds of winning the lottery are estimated to be about one in 14million - BUT you've got to be in it to win it.
