Deal over future of church
A DEAL has been struck to keep a Paisley church at the heart of the community.
The A-listed Thomas Coats Memorial Church has dominated the town’s skyline for more than a century, but the building’s trustees have revealed they will relinquish ownership due to financial pressures and a declining congregation.
Renfrewshire Council has been working with them to broker a deal to find new owners for the building – known as the Baptist Cathedral of Europe.
And the Prince’s Regener- ation Trust (PRT) – a charity that preserves and finds new uses for important historical sites throughout the UK – has now signed an agreement to provide mentoring and fundraising support to the trustees.
The PRT and their partners will now work on a business plan to find a suitable use for the building. Currently it houses a range of local groups, and hosts weddings, as well as University of the West of Scotland’s graduation ceremonies.
Council leader Mark Macmillan said: “The Thomas Coats Memorial Church is one of the jewels in the crown of Paisley’s unique urban heritage.
“The trustees first ap- proached us for help some time ago and we are pleased to have helped them find a route through which the church can be kept open.
“It has been clear from the reaction over the past week just how much the building means to local residents and I want to reassure them we are confident it will stay where it belongs at the heart of the community.
“The church is a link to Paisley’s days at the heart of the global textile industry and that legacy will feature strongly in the town’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021, now gathering pace.”