Parishioners are planning to serve up a selection of traditional Manx treats in aid of good causes.

St James’s Church in Dalby is set to throw open its doors to the public on Friday (July 5) to celebrate Tynwald Day.

As part of the Manx themed celebrations, the friends of the church will be marking the day with ‘teas, lunches and plenty of home cooking’ between 12 noon and 4.30pm.

The event will take place in the Dalby schoolrooms and, weather permitting, the church garden.

Among the traditional fare on sale will be Manx Broth, Manx Bonnag, Manx Soda Cake as well as homemade soups, sandwiches, cakes, scones, tea and coffee.

All money raised during the event will between a number of worthy organisations, namely island-based Dementia Care organisation Forget Me Not and Hands of Hope, a Manx charity working in Romania supporting refugees from Ukraine.

Both organisations are the church’s chosen charities for 2024.

Part of the proceeds will also be donated to the Dalby Church Restoration Fund.

St James’s church is no stranger to culinary events.

The venue is known to many as the host of the World Bonnag Championships.

Not quite a cake, and equally not necessarily a bread, the traditional dish, made with soda flour and buttermilk, would have been typically found cooking on the hearth of most Manx kitchens at one point in time, and would have featured as a part of most meals.

Each year, the event challenges budding bakers to create the best Bonnag cooked within five classes, gentleman’s, ladies, children under 14, commercial and gluten free.

This year is not only the 185th anniversary of the church but also the 40th anniversary of the Friends of the Church.

Designed by John Welsh, the architect behind King William’s College and the Tower of Refuge, St James was built in 1839 as a church school.

It’s understood to be one of the first dual purpose churches in the British Isles, along with its sister churches St Lukes Baldwin and St Stephens Lezayre.

In 1984, the three octogenarians who then made up the congregation were faced with the very possible closure of the church due to extensive dry rot in the building.

A public meeting was called and from that crunch session the Friends of Dalby Church were formed.

Since then, the group have worked tirelessly to save the historic church for both the island and the local community.

To celebrate the group’s achievements, a special anniversary concert celebration will be held on Sunday, July 7.

The event will feature a performance by the ‘Manx Voices’ choir who will sing nine pieces of choral music and will lead the crowd in singing a selection of hymns.

The concert will be followed by tea and cakes in the Dalby schoolrooms.

A spokesperson for the group said: ‘An invitation is extended to everyone to come celebrate.

‘There will be reflections, reminiscences and stories shared as they mark another milestone in the life of this small church and community.’

The anniversary concert will start at 6.30pm.