Betjeman’s ‘ecclesiastical toy fort’ saved

♦ Locals in a Cornish village have won a 30-year battle with developers to save a church praised by Sir John Betjeman as “an ecclesiastical toy fort”.

It was previously feared that because the abandoned Holy Trinity Old Church in St Day was partly wrecked it would be sold to developers.

But, after a long fight, the St Day Old Church Community Interest Company (CIC) has finally been handed control of the impressive ruins by the Church of England. The group now plans to turn it into a community space for theatre, music, film, art and other educational and social uses.

Bernadette Fallon, CIC chairman, said: “When we started 30 years ago we hardly dared to dream that we would arrive at this day.”