TW
0

CANON Jim Hawthorne is restructuring the Anglican Church in Palma in order to make it more cost effective and to lay the foundations for the church and the congregation's future. Yesterday Canon Hawthorne said that “with great regret” the church office is to close “because of the expense,” but he denied that the Thrift Shop, which has become a great institution for the expatriate community over many years, is to close, also. Canon Hawthorne explained that in order to ensure that the Coleman Hall is “fully utilised by the young and exciting,” the Centre Stage Theatre Group will take over the Hall in order to set up a club for young people in order to “keep them off the streets in these days of great temptation.” Canon Hawthorne praised the great work of Robert Bateman and Conway Jones, of Centre Stage. For the meantime, however, the Thrift Shop will continue operating at the Hall, while the Church looks for a more “available and accessible” location. “Obviously the decisions have only been taken recently and we hope to find a new location for the thrift shop within a month. This way we are cutting back on expenditure and hope to increase income while the Coleman Hall develops with the emphasis on young people as we plan for the future,” the Canon said. Looking to the more immediate future, this Sunday, Canon Jim Hawthorne will be holding a special service to celebrate the Queen Mother's centenary. Canon Hawthorne said yesterday that part of the service will reflect on the Queen Mother's Scottish background and will feature a piper.