FOR this week's Nostalgia edition we wanted to take a look at the history of St Mary's Church and Grotto at Cleator.

The church has been the focal point of the community for 150 years and many parishioners gather at the church regularly for services.

The grotto was built during the great depression of the 1920s and 1930s, when father Clayton issued an appeal in the Catholic Press and support was received from around the country to provide employment for people in the area, as many locals were suffering at this time due to problems with the mining and iron industries.

Father Clayton was the priest at St Mary's Church from 1904 until 1954.

The church bought adjoining land to the church and volunteers were brought in to construct a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes. The volunteers were awarded with vouchers for food and clothing.

Stone from local quarries was used to build the grotto and it was opened on October 30, 1927. It soon became the focus of pilgrimage from all parts of the Diocese. This tradition still continues to this day with a number of groups attending an annual service each September.

The statue of Our Lady was central to the original construction and in 1982 a statue of St Bernadette was added. The grotto was dedicated by Cardinal Basil Hulme in 1980.

The grotto is incredibly popular to this day with many people using it to pray, find peace, and pay respect to their loved ones.

These photos show what has gone on at the grotto over the years, we hope that these pictures help to bring back some fond memories for you all.