numbers. While St Hild and St Helen Church was in the process of closing down the local A.O.G. Pentecostal church in the town, The Lighthouse Christian Centre came forward with an offer to buy the building. The Church of England agreed to sell for a nominal sum on condition that it would continue to be used as a Christian church. The keys were handed over to the newly named "St Hild and St Helen Christian Fellowship” in October 2008. A Thanksgiving Service was held in the same month where the congregation was joined by the "Churches Together" group of Seaham Christian churches. It was decided to refurbish and update the building so that it would be better suited to serve the community. Rooms were created to enable a wide range of services to fulfil the aim of becoming a church in the community for the community. Work commenced in January 2009 and lasted 5 months. The church Centenary was celebrated in November 2012, consisting of an "Open Day" featuring a "Victorian Christmas Fayre", "Wedding Fashion Show" and a "Songs of Praise" service. Since then the church has continued and extended its programme of services to the community, reaching out to all ages in Dawdon and beyond. The programme now consists of Toddlers Groups, a Food Bank, Lunch Club, C.A.P. Debt Centre, Craft Group, Healthy Eating on a Budget Courses, Youth Group, funeral services and the free wedding service called "Marriage Matters" which has attracted more than 60 weddings so far. The "Pitman's Cathedral" lives on, and in fact the pastor since it changed hands, Mr David Taylor, is an ex-pitman himself. St Hild and St Helen Christian Fellowship is a Charity registered in England No. 1052543. Dawdon Colliery The decision to create a new pit at Dawdon was taken by the Marquess of Londonderry in the late 19th century, due to problems at his collieries in nearby Seaham. As Seaham Colliery's workings pushed out to the south-east, it became increasing expensive to mine the reserves from the old pit's shafts. It was therefore decided to sink new shafts in the rocky coastal area of Noses Point, close to the ancient settlement of Dawdon. Sinking work began in March 1900, but soon ran into problems. Water-bearing rocks proved difficult to excavate, which meant freezing techniques had to be used. The colliery finally opened for production in October 1907. Dawdon reached the