GOOD NEWS
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A SPRING CLEAN @ BIRKIN CHURCH-Conservation Cleaning
It's often quite frustrating in older buildings, that there always seems to be so much dust and dirt about. These buildings are often so incredibly & beautifully made, with their rich carvings, ornamental designs, and great height, but when the years pass, the stone dust falls, and the spiders make thier home, their beauty can grow a little faint. But what do you do when you need to clean a building that stands at such a great height & which has so many vulnerable furnishings?
Well, for the congregation of Birkin, they gave us a call & we are so glad they did! We love the team at Birkin Church; they have pushed over the years to make their church building more accessible, usable & warm, and now it is at the heart of community life. Now, we get the privilege to make the space even nicer for the congregation & community!
Using a mixture of techniques, scaffolding, and some extreme hoovering, we were able to clean the ENTIRE church, from stained glass windows, to monuments, to the bell tower... and we are so glad they like the difference!
EMPOWERING & ENCOURAGING YOUNG PEOPLE IN LITHUANIA
What a beautiful privilege to visit Latvia & Lithuania, and serve at a Christian Youth Conference there. 
We at Dream Heritage are passionate about empowering the next generation of dreamers & believers, and inspiring them to be an indomitable force for good! Therefore, you can imagine how excited we were to share testimonies & stories about how we can stand firm & not be overcome by this world, rather we can choose to overcome this world with good, and in doing so find 'Freedom in Christ'.
A big thanks to our Founder, Rebekah, for being brave & courageous to visit both Latvia & Lithuania; a big thanks to God for Rebekah's safety whilst she was both there & commuting there and back-she experienced incredible snowfall and freezing temperatures (often less than -20degrees celsius); a MASSIVE THANKYOU to the incredible Lithuanian team that made the conference happen; and of course a special thanks to the generosity and support of Siauliai Church 
& Chase, Vaida & Ema- you all are true WORLD CHANGERS! 
The conference was held in Siauliai, where around 65 young people came together to enjoy sports, games, and exploring the topic of 'Freedom in Christ'. Starting of in the Sports Centre, the young people enjoyed a basketball & volleyball tournament (of which Rebekah was really chuffed to have gained herself a silver medal for basketball!). From there, and through forests of snow, everyone travelled over to a homestead in the countryside, where there was evening worship, sermons, testmonies, a quiz, food, and lots & lots of board games.
Rebekah shared about her recent struggles over the last year, and how she had had such upset from the world around her. People had wronged her, been hurtful online or through words, and had been unsupportive. She went on to share how she had a choice, whether to let their words define her or God's. She also shared how she too had a choice whether to react in a similar way to how they had treated her. Using some 'willing' volunteers she demonstrated how easy it is to react to insults with more insults, or to violence with more violence, however she shared how we are supposed to be different. To be 'free' in Christ we must be assured in who God says we are- His treasured possession- and we must react to hate with love. She finished with this:
'Darkness cannot get rid of darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot cast out hate, only love can do that' -Martin Luther King Jnr.
The conference concluded on the Sunday at Siauliai Church, where there was a service followed by refreshments and an awards ceremony. Despite only being a 2 day conference, there were lots of hugs and 'goodbyes'; it was clear that this weekend would be a grounding & formative part of many young people's lives, and it was such a privilege to have been a small part of it!
Never underestimate what God can do through you!
'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!'
RECORD-BREAKING 72ft LONG MURAL UNVEILED IN GOOLE, WITH THANKS TO THE HARD EFFORTS OF THE DREAM TEAM & FRIENDS!
'We at Dream are all about restoring & transforming heritage and lives, and this Mural to celebrate Goole's vibrant history & heritage has simply been... transformational!'
On Monday 19th January between 11am and 1pm, a record-breaking mural was unveiled at Platform 1 at Goole Train Station (Goole, E. Yorkshire). Commissioned by The Friends of Goole Train Station and with support from Goole Civic Society and Northern Rail, and funding from the Goole Fields Wind Farm, this mural project was delivered by Dream Heritage, engaging with 9 schools (primary, secondary and SEN), and interfacing with 2000 young people.
The Mayor formerly unveiled the mural, alongside representatives from the schools involved, and other local community groups and dignitaries. Also present was BBC Radio Humberside & BBC News to share the good news of ths project. Rebekah Watkins, artist & curator of the mural project, and Director of Dream Heritage, shared to the BBC how she hopes the mural will leave a 'lasting legacy' in Goole, instilling in the local young people a sense of pride of place, and a feeling of belonging and community.
We at Dream are all about changing narratives and creating positive futures. It has been such a privilege to see young people positively impacted by the mural project we've delivered. At the beginning we welcomed in young people who were worried of 'doing it wrong' or 'making a mess'; they didn't believe in their ability... but we encouraged them to have a go, and make their contribution, and we are so glad they did! Each picture is a triumph, a victory of how a young person who maybe battled low self esteem and low confidence and who felt like they couldn't... actually could!This mural is a testimony of young people being planted with seeds of encouragement, and we are praying & hoping at Dream that these seeds begin to germinate into a lasting legacy, encouraging them into big and brighter futures!!!
To read further about the project, why not visit Goole 2026's website or BBC News' Website by using the buttons below! (Enjoy!)
Many thanks again to The Friends of Goole Train Station, Goole Civic Society, Northern Rail, and Goole Fields Wind Farm for your support, and to Boothferry School, Marshlands School, St Josephs Schools, DELTA Academy Goole, Riverside School, Kingsway School, Parkside School, Hook Primary School, and Swinefleet School.
Do get in touch if you'd like us to deliver a mural project in your area!
Also do consider donating to us by clicking 'DONATE NOW' if you'd like to support our work.
Blessings,
The Dream Team
"GOD CAN ALWAYS USE YOUR LITTLE TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE"
Having stepped forward into a New Year it is extremely easy to feel overwhelmed by the new ventures ahead, whether they are exciting dreams we are chasing or fearful uncertainties. 8 years ago was the inception of Dream Heritage, one that is still evolving and changing a we take each new step trying to do the best we can to restore the ruins we see in the world around us.
It has not been an easy adventure but a meaningful one, with many challenges, hurts and pains that we could have never anticipated. We were probably a bit too niave, but at the time it felt simple- we felt God prompting us to equip, educate and empower communities so that 'They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.' (Isaiah 61:4) It felt like a simple equation; follow God, use our skills & talents for good, and everything will go well, we'll be immeasurably blessed, and everyone will be nice. However, it hasn't been like that. For some restoration can be painful and for others change can often cause fear. Even when doing a good thing, you get resistance and that is hard. But despite the highs & lows of our Dream Journey, it is the RIGHT THING to do and a LIFE of PURPOSE & PROMISE.
We at Dream are passionate about encouraging ALL to live a PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE, and to bring their LITTLE-that is our giftstalents/skills/gifts-to the table, and to let God use them. In the Bible there's this brilliant story where a boy offers up 5 loaves and 2 fishes to feed around 5000 men, not even including the women and children that were most probably with them. The disciples were quite derogatory of the offer as it seemed to meagre and too little, but Jesus used it to miraculously feed the 5000 + people there. So there you have it, you may feel like your offering and talents are too small and meagre, but trust us, God can use them, and we have seen that first hand.
We have offered up our LITTLE and God has done with it immeasurably more than we could have ever asked or imagined.
Will you offer up yours?
FROM A DREAM TO REALITY-DREAM STUDIOS ARE TAKING SHAPE TO BE A REAL ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY
Dream Heritage is committed to trasnforming and restoring both lives & heritage. There are so many ruins in the world around us, from the physical ruins like vacant shops, delapidated buildings, overgrown green areas, unloved heritage, leaking church buildings..... to the community ruins like social isolation, poor mental health, nothing for young people to do, anti-social behaviour, vandalism, low self confidence, poor education... (the list goes on). But we at Dream feel commissioned by God to equip, empower and educate communities, churches and individuals to be RESTORERS OF RUINS' in their community. Each one of us was set apart and placed in the context we are in for a reason, and we want to upskill and empower each person to restore the ruins in their communities. From litterpicking to saving unloved heritage, from maintenance to conservation, from mural projects to re-enactments, we want to restore heritage, rebuild community, transform lives and re-tory the climate crisis.
It has been a very long-term dream to have a centre or a number of centres where we can train and upskill the next generation of craftspeople and Christian Youth Leaders, to bring positive change & restoration across our nation and beyond. However, things always tend to get in the way. Sometimes it even feels like those dreams may always remain distant.
That said, we've decided to take the next step forward and use what we have in our hands! One of our Directors, John, has kindly enabled us to start running Dream Studios within a former Barn that he restored. So far this has been a massive blessing for the Goole Bicentenary Project, where we were able to welcome schools to the studios to enjoy finishing off their mural art piece, whilst enjoying Christmas music, chocolate bsicuits & baked goods-what a treat for them! Furthermore, the space isn't just a nice and inviting space but functional too-there are not many places that would fit a 72ft long mural in. Around 20 years ago when the Barn was being restored John could have never anticipated the blessing that this building would have towards the Goole Bicentenary Mural Project (that has intefaced with around 2000 yung people) and the doors to incredible possibilities this would lead to. It is such a testament of being faithful & obedient to God, and remaining committed to your work as a form of worship to God. From John's efforts all those years ago, we are now seeing immeasurable blessings.
It is still our dream to restore the former methodist chapel in Aysgarth into a Traditional Crafts/Heritage Skills/Christan Youth Worker Training Centre, but that does require a lot more time, effort & finance, with current progress slow. Prayers over both Dream Studios Spaces would be so appreciated, as what an asset both spaces will be to educating and upskilling the next generation!
NEW YEAR & RENEWED DREAMS
*still dreaming, still believing
The Dream Team have had a hard but rewarding 2025, helping to restore heritage, rebuild community, transform lives, and restory the climate crisis across the UK and even into Europe!
Trusting God to guide our next steps in 2026 
so we can restore the ruins across our neighbourhood, nation and world
Blessings,
Xxx
The Dream Team 
DREAM'S CHRISTMAS PARTY
Thankyou to all the DREAMERS, Volunteers, Trustees & Directors who came along to out Christmas Party. It was so encouraging to have you there and dream & pray over Dream's 'next steps' in 2026 and over both The Barn in E. Yorkshire and The Fomer Methodist Chapel in the Yokshire Dales, both being spaces being restored & equipped as Dream's Studios; these Studios will provide vital training in Traditional Heritage Skills & Crafts, as well as Christian Youth Worker Training.
"We are all called to be RESTORERS OF RUINS' in our own families, neighbourhoods, communities, workplaces... whatever context we find ourself in; be encouraged to:
DARE to dream
RECRUIT a team
ESTABLISH a plan
ASK for miracles
MOVE out in faith"
A CHRISTMASSY THANKYOU
Wow... what a year, what weather, what effort, what muck to clean, what places to mend, what lives to restore... the list goes on.
It is hard work to do but it is transformational work too. We hit a lot of hard walls but also see a lot of break throughs.
All we can say is that it is a privilege to serve, and to do our bit to help positively transform and restore the world we live in.
The work we do at Dream we truly believe is IMPACTFUL, MEANINGFUL & PRECIOUS, helping to:
Restore heritage
Rebuild community
Transform lives
&
Restory the climate crisis
Xxx
Thank you for your support.
Peace & love,
The Dream Team 
CAROLS IN THE RUINS 2025 @HOWDEN MINSTER
"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 
Matthew 18:20
On Friday, around 180 people gathered in a ruin in Howden, under the star lit sky, on a bitterly cold evening, to sing carols & reflect on the Christmas Story.The reason: To restore ruins; to encourage others to be restorers of ruins; to bring different communities, ages & cultures together; and (most importantly) to introduce people to one of the best restorer of ruins there ever was & is, and His name is Jesus.
The night 
didn't go exactly as hoped for or planned. It was no 'shiny finished article'. There were mess ups, Dad jokes, last minute withdrawals. Many of the small number of volunteers ended up held up for one reason or another, not arriving until we had to start, meaning that maybe: -the welcome on the entrance was not as jolly as it could've been (poor Andrew had been roped in last second)-the equipment and set up wasn't finished in time so it all looked a little bit messy and disorganised (problems finding parking)-the entrance wasn't as clear and lit up as it should've been (needed more volunteers on set up)-the Carols weren't all so easy to sing along to, as no choir came as expected to help lead the Carols, and therefore -only a few Carol sheets available and some difficult hidden tunes amongst them-the programme was a bit long with the weather as bitterly cold 
as it wasBut behind scenes, there was a good heart and a lot of effort:
-The Dream Team had spent the whole day illuminating the ruins, setting up tables & chairs, and refreshments
-Volunteers (Helen, Mandy, Mark & Aaron) had done some epic baking/provisions with chocolate tray bake, biscuits, and an array of crumble & cream
-The Goole & ER Band had put in lots of practice & pushed through the numbing cold to play the Carols
-Joseph & Eunice Kwallah put in loads of effort, setting up the DJ deck and performing two of their Kenyan songs 
-Our founder Rebekah had done months of planning
So despite the cold & bit of disorder, we hope you see the put in & enjoyed the band, performances, crumble, community, & Illuminations.
"yet what I can I give him,give my heart"
'MAKE YOUR MARK'- RE-STORYING THE STORY OF VANDALISM IN HOWDEN
And it's up!
Well Done to all those in the community who got involved in creating this art installation with us @dreamheritage in June at the Art4all event.
MAKE YOUR MARK was an art installation created in response to the vandalism in Howden Minster & Howden Marsh earlier in the year. It looked at the ancient graffiti around the Minster, and the history & significance of leaving your mark. We then looked at what sort of mark we should leave on the world around us, a good one or a bad one, or perhaps no mark at all. The hope was to encourage especially the younger generations to leave a positive mark on the world around them! In keeping with the hand & footprint graffiti left from the 1700s in the roof lead, Rebekah from our team & lead artist behind the project, invited the local community & young people to leave their hand prints and finger prints in this artwork to create a picture of Howden Minster & the ruins!
It was installed in the South Aisle of Howden Minster, Howden. E. Yorkshire, by the Dream Team so do pop into the Minster in Howden, and have a look at it!
MUSIC IN THE RUINS
Thank you to all those who have contributed to the MUSIC IN THE RUINS events at Beaurepaire, as well as to the Beaurepaire Volunteer group for continuing to love & look after the site for the enjoyment of others. The Music In The Ruins events this year has brought some incredible jazz, sax, vocals, acoustic and new music to the Medieval Manor House of Beauepaire, one of the most incredible settings/backdrop for the music. Besides bringing the community and musicians together, these events have also brought some donations into the charity Dream Heritage CIO, enabling the Beaurepaire Volunteers to even purchase a new battery for the strimmer. With a new year fast approaching we have some incredible musicians in the pipeline so eep your eyes open and your ears in tune, as we'd love to invite an even bigger audience to the site to enjoy heritage, culture, art & music!
Specific thanks to Steve Pledger https://www.stevepledger.co.uk/ for performing at the site such an incredible set of music (and for braving the elements), and to 'Out of the Ruins'-a sax & vocals duo from Yorkshire.
Fancy helping to support the continued future of a local historic gem? Get in touch if you'd like to play/sing/perform at Beaurepaire Medieval Manor House. Your support would be appreciated! xxx
(Photo credit: Simon Twigg & Claire Galloway)
RUNNING TO BRING CHANGE
'CHANGE' is a strong word. It means that there will be some sort of shift from what think is ‘normal’ or ‘normalised’, to something ‘strange’ and ‘new’. Many people are adverse to change, with a 2023 study determining that 41% of adults in the UK describe themselves as ‘creatures of habit’. In many instances we see a reluctance towards change, whether it’s in our churches, supermarkets, school or work scenarios, because ‘change’ often affects us and may even cause us to do something differently.
‘Change’ is also something that can either be ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. We at Dream are passionate about bringing about positive change to our neighbourhoods, communities and landscape, but not all people’s ideas of ‘change are as altruistic. Even governments rattle on about bringing about ‘change’, but unless ‘change’ is needed, has a purpose, and is driven from selfless ambition, it can often become a vehicle for upset.
Dream is committed to inspiring communities and individuals to be local ambassadors of positive change. We want to RESTORE HERITAGE, REBUILD COMMUNITY, TRANSFORM LIVES & RE-STORY THE CLIMATE CRISIS but we know we can’t do this on our own. That is why we are so determined to champion positive community activities, ventures & projects, and to help in any way we can. It’s also why we are devoted as the Dream Team to being positive role models and to championing our advocacy campaigns.
Our founder Rebekah, has recently been one such ‘world changer’. She uses her ‘little’ to try to make a ‘big’ difference. Despite health mountains to climb, she has recently completed the Great North Run in just over 3 hours! Having never ran any further than 5K, this is an incredible achievement! She ran the race for Teenage Cancer Trust and her fundraising page link is still open here: https://ajbellgreatnorthrun2025.enthuse.com/pf/rebekah-watkins?utm_source=enthuse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=f-nurture&utm_content=page&utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=email&utm_source=enthuse
With a ½ marathon under her belt, she has rather crazily decided she is also going to be running the YORKSHIRE MARATHON for Yorkshire Cancer Research! Why not be one of the first to donate online to her online fundraising page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/rebekah-marathon-25?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
Rebekah hopes that by running these races for other good causes, she inspires people to be the positive change they wish to see in the world. Being a positive world changer doesn’t have to look like running marathons, or climbing mountains; it might just look like doing small acts of kindness each day, or giving some of your time to help someone else, or even just a smile and ‘hello’ to a passerby.
Challenge yourself to BE THE POSITIVE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
TIME OUT TO DREAM
Finding ‘time out’ to do anything is so hard in this modern world & culture we live in. Even write now as I’m typing this I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work, commitments, jobs etc I need to do. Being able to take time out to just rest, dream and recuperate can often feel counter intuitive and maybe even irritating, but we actually are supposed to do just that.
Our bodies need rest to heal & strengthen, and sometimes if we keep on going, missing out on sleep and rest, we’ll eventually end up either in burn-out, sleep debt, or disillusionment.
But how can we take time out in this busy world?
Well, ‘time out’ doesn’t mean you have to opt out of everything. It just means deliberately setting up periods of time to do things other than working. It might be deliberately visiting your neighbour or taking apples/eggs to a neighbour. It might mean just sitting in a chair in the sunshine and breathing in the cool autumn air, or going for a walk or run. It might mean intentionally reading the Bible or devotional, or escaping from phones and screens for a while.
Many years ago, the Dream Team felt like the world needed some ‘time out’. That’s how they first started setting aside a time each month to encourage people to meet together, socialise and explore the Christian faith together through media, film, walks, trips and more. Moving to today, the Team are probably as passionate as ever about the importance of meeting together, to ‘take time out to dream’. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed in our own little world, home, church, or community, but taking time out with others & time out with God helps us put a much better perspective on it all.
Dreaming enables us to focus on future exciting possibilities, instead of focussing on the limitations and problems we have now. Personally as a team, we went through phases thinking ‘should we pack it all in’ & ‘what’s the point’, but when we took time out to dream, and to ask God what He wants us to do, then… we saw the future possibilities and past blessings!
That’s why once again we are resuming our Time Out To Dream get togethers in Yorkshire, to unite the Church, and to empower & equip the next generation of dreamers and believers! These monthly evening get-togethers hope to not detract from current church efforts & ministries, but to ‘add’ to them, being nights where people of all ages can enjoy contemporary worship, friendship, and encounter Jesus in a new/renewed way!
The September gathering was a brilliant success, with a BBQ, live music & a short personal testimony under the starry sky, in the grounds of the idyllic Drax Church. Around 15-20 people came along, of all ages, and it just felt like one extended family, hanging out together, worshipping Jesus!
Next one is Friday 10th October, 6-8pm, where we’ll be enjoying homemade snacks & the legend of a film, ‘Bruce Almighty’. The film will be showing at The Hawdon, Church Ave, Selby, and it’s free to attend but donations welcome. All ages welcome, but those under 16 years of age will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.
LOCAL SCHOOLS ARE GETTING ARTISTIC IN THE PREPARATIONS FOR GOOLE’S 200TH BIRTHDAY
In the lead up to the town of Goole’s 200th Birthday, Yorkshire based organisation Dream Heritage has been trailblazing the town’s local heritage in the local schools. Commissioned by the Friends of Goole Train Station, with project funding from Goole Windfarms and support from Northern Rail, Dream Heritage are running the Goole 2026 Mural Project, whereby a large mural is being created with the local schools. This mural will be unveiled at the start of Goole 2026, and will depict & celebrate Goole’s history from 1826 to 2026. It will be displayed at Platform 1 at Goole Train Station, and will be a great showcase to those passing by or through via the railway network, that Goole has an interesting and vibrant heritage & community.
In September, Rebekah Watkins from the Dream Team led assemblies and classroom sessions in 9 of the local schools, interacting with around 2000 young people over the course of the week, and sharing with them Goole's remarkable history. With 9 panels forming the final mural, each school involved has been tasked with running their own competitions within classes and entire schools, challenging the young people to design a section of the mural that focuses on a specific period of Goole's history.
The engagement with the schools so far has been so positive, and the young people have been really excited & involved in the sessions. With 2026 not far away, the project has been a brilliant opportunity to introduce to the young people the fact that Goole is reaching its 200th birthday, with the top 5 most popular answers from young people when questioned about what is going to happen in 2026 being: 'flying cars', 'AI taking over the world', 'World War 4', 'the creation of New, New Goole', and 'Goole Leisure Centre re-opening'. Now the young people are excited about Goole 2026, and about being part of its celebrations, and eager to go home and ask questions about their family heritage, Goole's history and more!
Rebekah from Dream Heritage is beyond excited too to see the final designs, and to get the winning designs sketched out on the panels for their imminent painting! With under a week to go, Rebekah will be revisiting the 9 schools but this time, to paint. It is hoped that through involving the primary and secondary school young people in the project, they will begin to gain a sense of ‘pride of place’, and an affinity to where they live/go to school/work.
DREAM'S IMPACT EXTENDS OVERSEAS!
We’ve heard of Dream Heritage and the CIC Team who are actively restoring the ruins. We’ve heard too of our amazing CIO Charity Trustees & Volunteers who are empowering and equipping others to restore their ruins!
We’ve even heard about ‘Out of the Ruins’, a new venture whereby the team are bringing stories of hope and restoration through music & song, to various communities, churches, heritage sites & community events across the country.
But… Did you hear that Dream Heritage has been restoring the ruins OVERSEAS too!
In July 2025, Rebekah Watkins, our founder, set off to visit Lithuania, to aid the Dutch Foundation of Penance & Reconciliation with restoring Jewish cemeteries there. The foundation was set up 50 years ago in The Netherlands, and brings together Christians & Jews to restore Jewish cemeteries, in the hope that local heritage is protected & to build bridges of peace & reconciliation. It is intended that these projects will prevent future anti-semitism and use the past as something to learn from to improve the future.
The foundation offers their volunteers, time, resources & money to restore Jewish cemeteries, and also hopes to inspire local groups and people to restore their local cemeteries too. The group have had a longing to enlarge their work into Eastern Europe, and this year they set their minds & energies into restoring the Jewish cemetery of Ceciske, near Kaunas in Lithuania. It is estimated that there are around 250 dilapidated Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania, a lasting reminder of the brutality of the Nazi occupation.
Landing at Vilnius by plane, Rebekah travelled over to Kaunas, with one small bag and a pick-up promise from the train station. Staying locally with other young adults from the local church, she got involved in the local Christian youth work and outreach that was being led together by the churches. It was incredible to see so many young people & young adults come together and enjoy time together & do life together, and explore about Jesus.
She then got the opportunity to explore Kaunas with her new friends, which has an absolutely beautiful historic quarter, and many interesting museums and sites to see. Whereas in the UK, heritage can often become overlooked or run down, it quickly became apparent that Lithuania, with its history of subjugation from neighbouring countries for hundreds of years, has grasped on to its surviving heritage and is proud of it. The government is extremely active in funding the restoration, if not rebuilding, of many heritage sites, and is also very pro-active in restoring and keeping the Lithuanian language. From signage to books, Lithuanian was the dominant language, with English rarely seen, as a deliberate effort to make sure they don’t lose their oral heritage. Reading further into Lithuania’s history, even recent history, we see that the people of Lithuania are not just kind and giving, but they are a resilient people, who are proud of their heritage.
Meeting up with the Dutch Team, Rebekah then headed over to Ceciske, staying at the Zalensu Homestead. There she got involved in the restoration project of the Jewish Cemetery, meeting the local Jewish communities and other local volunteers. The restoration of the cemetery involved finding graves, and re-erecting them, alongside cleaning them. With large amounts of bush, grass and woodland now occupying the site too, there was a large-scale clearance of the site to allow easy access to the cemetery for Jewish people.
The longevity of the restoration works is questionable, with a definite need for the local community to want to take on responsibility of the site. Also, some of the conservation and repair works to the stone could have used more appropriate materials like lime mortar, but it was eye-opening to see such a group of Dutch people dedicated to restoring these cemeteries and placing them back on the map for the local communities and Jewish people. These projects are selfless acts, helping another not because you have to but because you want to.
Rebekah went on to explore Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, with its impressive Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site. She also enjoyed visiting Journey Church in Vilnius with one of the Lithuanian Volunteers from the project, and got to visit the gorgeous Trakaii Castle, Duke’s Palace, and Kernave UNESCO Heritage Site. Steeped in history, heritage & culture, Lithuania was a privilege to visit, and its hoped that maybe some more links could be forged for some joint ventures in the future!
All in all, perhaps there is something that we can all learn from Rebekah’s experience. Over the two weeks she was there, she witnessed the history of a resilient people who were proud of where they came from, and their traditions, languages, & cultures, and who did not give up despite being hard pressed. She witnessed a people who are still hurting from the past, but who are striving to rebuild and restore their lives & country, so that future generations will not just survive but thrive. Life is often not easy, but may we never grow tired of doing good.
Galatians 6:9
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
2 Corinthians 4: 8-10
8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
FESTIVAL DREAMERS
This year, the Dream Team have been serving at many different Christian festivals across the country. We love to serve as a Team, and its always so encouraging being part of other good works to restore & transform lives! Like we always say… ‘teamwork makes the dream work!’
In July, we were privileged to serve at Cedarwood Festival in North Yorkshire. This relatively new Christian festival is open to all ages, has very strong community vibes, and is authentic. The festival itself is focused around the fire pit, an area where you can socialise around, chomp on good food, and discuss big questions on faith, life & God. For 2025 the festival welcomed some incredible speakers including Roy Crowne from Gospel Entrepreneurs, and Mark Greenwood from Elim Evangelism. The London Institute of Contemporary Christianity joined the scene also, alongside incredible worship and teaching. Despite the heat, which was incredibly oppressive at times, the festival was a real treat for both volunteers and attendees. It was incredible to witness a sense of ‘family’ and unity among all who came along, and lovely to see three people get baptised on the final day!
In August, we served again at Limitless Festival at Stafford Showground. Our team have been serving at this festival for years, and once again it is an incredible privilege to be part of sharing the gospel with around 6000 young people! The worship was amazing, God-centred & free, and the young people really engaged in many of the challenging seminars and discussions across the site delivered in seminars and workshops outside the main meetings. The weather was a treat, giving brilliant sunshine for the festival, and many young people committed their lives to following Jesus, and to being part of His counter-culture, that is to live selflessly & doing what is right and good in God’s eyes not the world’s. Incredible to see such a response of young people wanting to be the next generation of dreamers & believers, bringing positive change to the world we live in!
Then at the end of August, our team once again served at Big Church Festival. This year was it first year as a 3 day festival, with set programmes for children & youth too, alongside the worship & music festival scene. This year was a complete sell out, and it was utterly unbelievable to see 35,000 people in a field, worshipping God and finding more about Jesus! The team’s music group ‘Out of the Ruins’ also got to play at the festival and share their music & stories of hope and restoration. This was a HUGE honour for us, and feel so blessed to have been part of it. It was also brilliant for some of our team to serve on the Kids Team, helping to deliver some engaging sessions, Bible stories and worship alongside 4Front Theatre. Awesome worship music; great teaching; moving personal testimonies; and some brilliant festival vibes, energy & fireworks!
Hoping to have a larger group of the Team & Volunteers to serve on the Festival Teams next year… are you up for it?
CELEBRATING NATIONAL VOLUNTEERS WEEK
In celebration of National Volunteers Week, The Dream Team at Dream Heritage would like to thank each and every one of their volunteers, supporters, clients & sponsors! Our mission & ministry is to restore & rebuild the ruins in both heritage and communities, by empowering local people to be be positive ambassadors of local change, and to educate & equip them to restore their local unloved spaces & places to: restore heritage; rebuild community; transform lives; and to re-story the climate crisis. From the litter pickers and painters, to donors and gardeners, to young leaders and youth workers, to conservationists and archaeologists, to journalists and promoters... you are seen, recognised & appreciated. It is small, local and grassroots efforts like these which add together to make the big difference we yearn to see. A specific word of thanks to the very young girl who volunteered to litter pick at Picnic In The Park event on Sunday-desperate to help, she went away in her pram clutching very happily her mini litter picker after her brilliant efforts to make the world a cleaner & better place!
YOUNG PEOPLE LEADING POSITIVE CHANGE
We at Dream run many different activities from carrying out professional historic building conservation and repair, to setting up litter picking groups, to hosting and delivering cultural events and workshops, running youth clubs, and delivering community heritage projects. We are all about restoring both heritage and community!
Anyway, we run two youth clubs in the Selby area, and for this week we are celebrating National Volunteers Week by focusing our youth club session on the theme of 'Impact'. We all make an impact on the world and those around us, but only we have a choice of whether that impact will be a positive or a negative one. We are exploring with the young people about what impact they would like to have and what legacy they would like to leave behind.
Yesterday was such a 'heaven touching earth' moment, which gave us goosebumps, because we held our youth club session at The St Richard's Centre on Barwic Parade in Selby, and saw around 30 young people engage in the session. We talked about impact; we discussed how some people may say disencouraging things to us, such as 'we will never amount to anything' or 'you can never make a big enough difference'. But guess what!- that day, we proved all those who want to disencourage us wrong! The young people all got the choice to go and collect litter from the local area. Loads of bags and rubbish were collected, and the pile of rubbish was huge! And guess what!-smiles all around!
'I cannot do all the good that this world needs, but the world needs all the good that I can do!'The young people were so proud of their efforts, and got to see how if we all play our part to 'be the change we wish to see', we can positively impact our world and make a big difference together.
YOUNG VANDALS INVOLVED IN RESTORING THE MISSION HALL THEY VANDALISED... NOW THEY ARE THE YOUTH CLUB:
THE RUIN: The St Richard's Centre, on the Abbots Rd Estate in Selby was extremely vandalised during lockdown and we were asked if we would do the insurance job to restore it. Sinks and toilets had been knocked off walls, and the heating turned on max, windows smashed, and the building flooded... the floor even swelled, pushing the walls of the building nearly over! The vandals were local children, who had seen the building empty, and were notorious for anti-social behaviour.
THE RESTORATION: We at Dream believe in SECOND CHANCES. In this instance we saw an opportuntiy to transform lives, not just be the most affordable option for the building's repair, because at the end of it, we aren't interested in just repairing a building for it to stand empty and have no benefit to the community. That's why we went in the local schools, and asked for the young vandals to become part of its refurbishment! We invovled Kickstart Trainees as well, and the children were involved in its painting and decorating. We ended the refurbishment with a pancake party, and loads of the local youth turned up and loved it! Our team will never forget how the young vandals walked in on the day of the party, faces beaming with pride, telling all their friends and family about painting this and that.... finally being proud of something positive instead of negative! Now these previosu vandals are the core of one of the youth clubs we lead there, and we have seen the transformation in their lives that this small project has made.
COMMUNITY PROJECT TO PROVIDE A LOCAL YOUTH PROVISION AT THE HAWDON, IN SELBY:
THE RUIN: The Hawdon Institute was an underused heritage asset, adjacent to Selby Abbey. There was a need locally for young people to have somewhere to go, where they could socialise, build friendships, learn life skills and access support.
THE RESTORATION: We at Dream saw the potential for the Hawdon to be a youth/community space. We have involved the local community, youth, work experience students, and York university, in incrementally restoring the building, playing on its beautiful heritage character and making it fit to host a regular youth group, weekly community group meetings, holiday clubs, and events.
BOULEVARD YFC PARISH HALL
THE RUIN: St Matthew's Parish Hall was given to Hull YFC so that they could continue their outreach and good work in Hull. However, every building comes with its owns liabilities, and the Hall requires a programme of incremental refurbishment and maintenance, to enable it to become a well used community asset!
THE RESTORATION; The building is viewed as an incredible opportunity for increasing Hull YFC's work, as well as a great excuse for getting the local community involved in some well needed maintenance, repair, cleaning, gardening and DIY.
So far Dream with Hull YFC have led a Community Week at the hall, with local people involved in grounds clearance, gardening and cleaning, whilst we carried out some well needed high level maintance on the building, emptying the rainwater goods and refreshing the exterior main window at the front. The Dream Team have also put in double glazed window units in the refurbished original wooden window frame in the 'soon-to-be' office, installing radiant heaters and plug sockets in their too. Involving the community in some of the works was absolutely lovely, and the YFC team made sure everyone was well fed and watered with their homemade soups and refreshments!
The YFC Team have BIG visions on how they will continue to positively impact and support the people of Boulevard, and we are excited to be part of this dream becoming reality!
BEAUTY
WITH A
PURPOSE
Press Release-Rebekah Watkins, Our Founder, Makes News!
In January, local advocate for heritage, youth, & the environment, Rebekah Watkins, took to the pageant stage again as part of the Eco Pageants UK Finals. She was awarded a certificate on the evening acknowledging her incredible environmental advocacy. Rebekah’s most recent campaign was called ‘RESTORIED’: empowering, equipping & educating local communities to be ambassadors of local positive change by restoring their local heritage places & spaces to restory the climate crisis. Locally & across the UK, she took on a 90 Day Litter Picking Challenge, inspiring others to ‘be the change they want to see in the world’, and she also visited Daisy Chain Farm in Teeside to see how they use farming & horticulture to support those who are neurodivergent. She thanks all her sponsors who enabled her to raise an incredible £215 for Daisy Chain.
Rebekah featured last year in the Miss England Finals, again with a purpose- that was & still is to inspire & empower the next generation to be an indomitable force for good, helping them to unlock their potential by realising that we are all fearfully & wonderfully made; have a hope, purpose & a future; and are deeply loved by God. Throughout her involvement in the pageant she was a major part in changing the swimwear round to a workwear round, and in championing natural beauty by going make-up free. She is a trailblazer for women at work; young people making a positive difference; and being an indomitable force for good.
In the Eco Pageants Finals she may not have gained a crown, but she did bring purpose & a message by her involvement. For the mandatory swimwear round Rebekah wore her very-used full length wetsuit instead of the traditional bikini wear, and her opening black dress was a £2 charity bargain up-cycled with pearl embellishments. Her evening gown was a wedding dress sourced from dove house hospice in Hull, embellished with natural & mankind items, including a face mask and a green doggy bag. This gown was to evoke thought to the audience that beauty shouldn’t come at a cost to the environment, and how our actions can often detract from the beauty of the incredible world we live in. Rebekah’s outfits all made a statement, and had meaning, purpose & thought behind them. She hopes to continue to raise awareness of the importance of our natural & historic environment, champion sustainable fashion, & empower positive change on local & national levels.
Rebekah’s life does no way shy away from the purpose she tries to communicate through these pageants. She is founder of local community interest company DREAM HERITAGE CIC, which has been saving local unloved heritage, rebuilding communities, and transforming lives through a mixture of professional conservation & repair of historic buildings, community heritage/green/archaeological projects, local youth work, & youth ministry. She is a professional archaeologist (BSc from Durham University) and a professional historic building conservationist (West Dean College PDD), with her excellence in the field & dreams recognised by the prestigious award of the John Ashurst Prize. She is also a well experienced youth worker, speaker, and youth minister, putting in incredible amounts of time, energy and hard work into her work to really change the world for good! Rebekah claims that her strength & drive is not her own but is God-fuelled confidence, and her Christian faith is the strong foundations to why she wants to really help rebuild the ruins in our world.
Most recently Rebekah has founded with the support of six other Trustees, DREAM HERITAGE CIO, which is a charity and will enable the growth & delivery of all the community and charitable dreams and ventures she and the team has for the local area & broader afield. The charity was recently registered in December 2024 and is now looking for support so that it can: restore heritage; rebuild community; transform lives; and restory the climate crisis. They have signed up for Easy Fundraising, which is a free mechanism for raising vital funds for the charity at no cost to the charity or to consumers. How it works is a lot like cash back, however the cash given back by big brands goes to the charity. All people have to do is sign up for Easy Fundraising and choose to support DREAM HERITAGE CIO. The sign up process is easy and will allow you to shop online whilst raising funds for the charity at no cost to yourselves or the charity. It is an easy way of supporting a charity, and Rebekah and the Team would be so blessed and honoured if you would sign up and support. The direct link to Easy Fundraising is: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/dream-heritage-cio
WHY NOT SUPPORT REBEKAH'S RECENT ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN-'RESTORIED'?
BOULEVARD BAPTISTS:
THE RUIN: With a bit of a 'revival' happening in the congregation, it was definitely time to start thinking about the future of the building. With water-pouring into the building from rainwater goods being fitted upside down, a number of holes in the fabric, missing tiles, and a dead felt roof on the back, the building really was needing a bit of help.
THE RESTORATION: RE-PAIRING & REPLACING RAINWATERGOODS & SLATES; EMPTYING RAINWATERGOODS SO THEY ARE FUNCTIONAL; NEW RECYCLED ROOF ON THE END OF THE BUILDING; AND CLEARING OF RAZOR WIRE, TREES & RUBBISH. This work will enable the church to continue hosting Hull YFC's Breakfast Club, Toddlers Group, Sunday School, Church Services, Outreach Services, and Church Services, and perhaps even attract some new faces!
BIRKIN CHURCH:
THE RUIN: Birkin Church has the only Norman Apse in Britain, and is a gorgeously situated church. With life-times of history in its walls, it has been a continued place for the community and worship. However, the building was overdue some maintenance of its fabric, and was quite drafty and uncomfortable with its broken windows and ill-fitting doors. To ensure the building was performing at its thermal best and to make the place comfortable for its variety of users, then something had to be done.
THE RESTORATION: RE-POINTING IN LIME; RAINWATER GOODS EMPTIED; LEADED GLASS WINDOW REPAIRS; STONE INDENT REPAIRS; MORTAR-MATCHING; 'PLASTIC' MORTAR REPAIRS; CONDITION REPORT; OAK-LINED DRAFT EXCLUDER FOR DOOR. It's been so rewarding seeing the community use the building for a variety of events such as Themed Evenings, Suppers, Luncheons, Craft Fairs and more!
CLEAN GOOLE CAMPAIGN GROUP
THE RUIN: Goole has so much potential with great parks, Victorian architecture and some iconic buildings... however, it is a place often known as 'Sleepy Hollow', with a large number of the local community showing little signs of civic pride for the place.
THE RESTORATION: That said, all Goole really needed was a bit of love & a good clean-up, and that's exactly what the Clean Goole Campaign Group has been all about... helping people LOVE GOOLE (#LOVEWHEREYOULIVE).
Some of our team at Dream have helped support the group's set-up, organisation and loan of equipment, and are so proud to see such community spirit bursting through!
BEAUREPAIRE MEDIEVAL MANOR HOUSE, DURHAM
THE RUIN: Beaurepaire Medieval Manor House was a Scheduled Monument with a history of vandalism, anti-social behaviour, litter, and neglect. Once one of the most important manor houses in the North East, through a catalogue of disasters, the site became unloved and unknown. The local village of Bearpark were very much unaware of the site's impressive history, and were a very much divided community. As a cheaper area to live than Durham, the village had attracted people who used the village as a place to commute from instead of a community to invest in.
THE RESTORATION: Once an unloved ruin-now a delightful place to visit for a ramble or a picnic. This scheduled monument site was transformed by the community heritage project we at Dream led, all achieved by the volunteer help and donations we received from local businesses and individuals such as Paxtons, D J Plant Hire, Mobile Mini, Marion Wilson, Durham AAP and TARMAC. The site hosts a number of community events including Music In The Ruins and Medieval Day, and is a major stop-off on the new Northern Saints Trails Pilgrimage Routes.
COMMUNITY GARDEN PROJECT & HERITAGE EVENTS @ ST PETER'S & ST PAUL'S, DRAX
THE RUIN: The Grade I Listed Church of St Peter & St Paul in Drax, N. Yorkshire, is a beautiful church with heaps of heritage, however the building and its grounds had suffered from a lack of maintenance due to low human and financial resource.
THE RESTORATION: With such an important local history spanning back to Roman times, and local heritage sites such as Drax Augustinian Priory, Talleville Castle and Scurff Hall nearby, we were eager to get the local community involved in looking after the grounds and investigating further its history. First, we got local residents, the youth club, and trainees involved in looking after & tidying the graveyard, cleaning the gutters of the church, and doing small maintenance jobs. Then we were part of Heritage Open Days, Community Functions, Heritage Trails & Walks, and more, encouraging the local community to be proud ambassadors of their local heritage and its future!
HELPING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY LOOK AFTER THEIR HOMES DURING LOCKDOWN
THE RUIN: Maintenance is a BIG issue for both heritage and new builds. If roof leaks are not stopped, gutters not cleaned and mortar repointed, than the problems made from water ingress can have very costly consequences.
THE RESTORATION: That's why during lockdown we went around cleaning gutters and doing the odd maintenance & gardening job for those who were elderly or disabled near our office,
CHIMNEY CHENANIGANS-SUPPORTING VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY
THE RUIN: During lockdown an elderly member of the local community in Selby needed the chimney stack on her house taken down and rebuilt as it had eroded greatly and was a big cause for concern to passers-by who could see the chimney was unstable.
THE RESTORATION: With a very tall tower of scaffholding, harnesses, and bounteous amound of mortar, the chimney was fixed and the home-owner made very happy. This was a quick and affordable solution for the home-owner.
MAKING ROOM FOR A BIOMASS BOILER-RE-ROOFING AN OUTHOUSE IN THE CURTILAGE OF A LISTED BUILDING
THE RUIN: A small outhouse within the scheduled area of a cluster of listed buildings needed to be sympathetically replaced and enlarged to cover its new function as a storage for the wood chips and biomass burner.
THE RESTORATION: Our Dream Team made a new larger roof, with a good overhang, to help protect the new biomass boiler and its wood chips storage. The new biomass boiler will enable the adjacent listed building to be heated much more environmentally.
CRAZY PAVING AT DRAX VICARAGE:
THE RUIN: The Vicarage lacked a seating area for families, parents and visitors to enjoy during Vicarage Village Events & Activities.
THE RESTORATION: We at Dream love recycling, and when the the Vicar at Drax wanted some crazy paving done from the stones and slabs she found strewn around her new vicarage, we were up for the challenge! What a difference it made! The new paving area looked lovely and was a great area for community functions & socials for the village!
RESTORING PRIDE OF PLACE IN BEARPARK:
THE RUIN: Beaurepaire Medieval Manor House, idyllically nestled in the Browney Valley, nr Bearpark, was an unloved and overlooked Scheduled Monument. The place attracted anti-social behaviour, vandalism and litter, and its history was unknown. The local community, in particular the youth, had a lack of pride in their local heritage, and were unaware of how rich the heritage was on their doorstep.
THE RESTORATION: We at Dream led 'Experience History' Days and Re-enactments with schools in County Durham. It was so encouraging to see the younger generations m0re engaged with and interested in their local historic & natural environment. This has greatly reduced vandalism and anti-social behaviour at the site, and we have even had young gardeners get involved, the youngest being 4 yrs old!
We are DARING TO SHARE OUR VISION, speaking about our work & its positive impact across the UK. Why not book us to speak with you!
