Church will close if it can’t find volunteers

A Peterborough church faces closure unless new volunteers can be found.

St Augustine’s Church in Woodston is facing an uncertain future due to concerns about the amount of money it needs to repair the building and the lack of volunteers needed to help maintain and run it.

The building requires significant repairs, most notably to the roof, and the church has beenhitfurtherbythedecision of the current churchwarden to step down after many years of service.

The church maintains a congregationofaround25people, however, the challenges it now faces has put its future in doubt.

At the recent Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in May, it was agreed that “even were there to be sufficient financial resources to repair, maintain and restore the building, the challenge would still be too great to find enough people willing and able to help keep the building open and in good order.”

This led to Parochial Church Council to ask the Rural Dean of Yaxley Deanery, of which the church is part, The Reverend Canon Sarah Gower toseekadvicefromtheDiocese of Ely as to the church's future.

Church services are only scheduled to continue as normal until the end of September and beyond then, it is not known for certain what will happen to the church. Should

the required help not be found, one of the options would be for the diocese to hand over the building to The Churches Conservation Trust. The trust would repair the building but it would close to worshippers and control of its cemetery wouldreverttothecitycouncil.

One of the parishioners who would like to see the churchsavedisRichardHutchinson. He said: “The church still means a lot to many people and has a lot of history. For me, I grew up going to the church and it’s where my aunt and mother got married.

"There used to be a really strong congregation of around 75 and given that there are a lot ofnewhousesbeingbuiltinthe area, so hopefully it can grow again.Ihavebeenintouchwith theDioceseofElyandtheyhave assuredmethatifwecangettogether enough support, then theywillhelpuswithourclaim to keep the church open.”

Thechurchitselfisbelieved tohavebeenrebuiltaroundthe Victorian period after the previouschurchonthesitefellinto disrepair.

Reverend Gower, who also acts as minister for Christ Church in Orton Goldhay and Orton Malborne, St Andrew’s in Alwalton and St Michael’s in Chesterson, stressed that services will continue as normal at the church for now but that worshippers would be welcome at any other Church of

England churches in the area.

She said: “St Augustine’s Church has faced a number of challengesinrecentyears.One of the main difficulties recently has been that for a variety of reasonsithasnotbeenpossible to find the volunteers needed to help maintain the church building and support the dayto-day maintenance activities that all old buildings of these types require.

"Aftermanyyearsoftireless service, the current churchwarden will be stepping back from their duties in October.

"In the meantime, it is important to emphasise that while the use of the church building as a place of worship isuncertainafterOctober,services at the church will continueat11ameverySundayuntilat least the end of September, to which all are welcome.’’

St Augustine’s Church, Woodston.