A PULPIT that was used to deliver the word of God at church services is now used to deliver coffee and cakes at a North Berwick cafe!

The disused pulpit from a Borders church takes pride of place at High Street indoor marker whynot?, having been converted into a serving counter.

The unusual idea has even attracted interest from America, with Pennsylvania-based Reclaimed Things – a handmade workshop, design house and purveyor of vintage finds – naming whynot? the ‘Reclaimer of the Week’ for its ingenuity.

“I went to look at a church for sale,” explained Adam Elder, one of the founders of whynot?.

“There was a pulpit looking all lost and lonely in this empty church. My hobby is woodwork so I asked the lady showing us around if I could have it.

“The pulpit had been left after the church had closed left as it was too big to go out of the door. It must have been built in situ.

“So a friend and I gently dismantled it. This was difficult as the fixings were ancient and seized in the oak timber, but we managed to get it into sections without any damage. I’m told the pulpit is well over 100 years old.” It took his team six hours to get the pulpit “to bits”.

Having got the pulpit from Longformacus Church in November, it was eventually decided that it would form part of the cafe at whynot?

It was re-modelled with help from the community, including pupils from North Berwick High School who are involved in the running of the cafe, plumber Danny Thorburn from North Berwick, and creative glass company Rebott Glass.

“It was just through Facebook or Twitter that Reclaimed Things saw pictures of the cafe,” said Adam. “They got in touch with me to see how a pulpit came to the cafe. They thought it was a great story.

“It is always nice when people like what you do. The customers have remarked on it, everyone likes the story behind it and how we treated it with great respect with what it was.

“I spoke to the lady showing us round the church, one of the church elders, and she and the other church elders are happy it was going to a good home and would be seen by people. They were really happy with the youngsters who helped install it.” The cafe has three school pupils helping out: Ross Patrick, his sister Lucy and also Fraser Scott, with the latter two working on a business plan for the cafe over the summer.

Opened late last year, Whynot? is a central location for up-and-coming businesses to sell their wares.

“It is going great,” added Adam. “Two of our retailers made such a success of their business that they’re going on to open their own shop.

“We’re acting as an incubator, a stepping stone, and if it succeeds, [they can] go on to bigger and better things.”