Coleraine Friends are relieved to be back in their Meeting house after a major facelift. The clerk, Veronica Young, sent us this account:

'It has been a long haul, but the result is well worth it. The warden's flat is now totally self-contained, no more sharing of kitchen and bathroom. The lower floor is disabled friendly and there is room for a proper welcome to be shown to visitors before they enter 'the jewel in the crown', the new Meeting room. What was once a scruffy garage full of junk is now a beautifully simple, eco-friendly space with a James Turrell-inspired ceiling (though we do have glass in the skylight). The whole room is conducive to peace and worship.

'The meeting would like to express its thanks to all the Meetings and individuals in Britain and Ireland Yearly Meetings who have supported us. You will be welcome to visit us at any time, just don’t all come at once - we do not have a very big Meeting room, even now.

'Our biggest debt of gratitude goes to John Chilvers, who by one of those coincidences that do crop up, has found that his first and last projects as an architect have been extensions to Quaker Meeting houses. The first was at Derby in 1971-72, which he remembers with great fondness and was perhaps the first step on his journey to membership of the Religious Society of Friends. As a member of Coleraine Meeting this is his final project before retiring to move on to pastures new. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts.'