DO you recognise yourself or a member of your family in this picture?It was taken 65 years ago when the foundation stone of St Thomas Church in Bramford Lane was laid.

By Paul Geater

DO you recognise yourself or a member of your family in this picture?

It was taken 65 years ago when the foundation stone of St Thomas Church in Bramford Lane was laid.

At that time the congregation met in a tin hut on Bramford Road as an off-shoot of All Saints Church.

But then it was decided to build a new church which would also serve the proposed Whitehouse housing estate.

Work on the church started in 1937, and it opened in 1938 - a year before the outbreak of second world war.

To mark the laying of the foundation stone, special events will be taking place at the church on Sunday .

As well as the normal services in the morning, in the afternoon there will be an exhibition of church life between 2 and 4pm.

The church is aiming to record the memories of people who remember the area when it was newly-built and members of the church will be on hand to record these.

Current vicar Fr Paul Bourner found the picture during a clean-up at the church, and believes that some of the younsters in it may still live in the area.

"I believe the priest in the middle is Fr Stevenson, who was assistant curate at All Saints – but we would love to know who all the others are," he said.

* Are you one of these people or do you recognise a face? Call the Evening Star newsdesk on 01473 282257.