Keep psalm and carry on!

NEW CHURCH: Scrum on down at the rugby club until the church is repaired

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Church faith in rugby club conversion
PARISHIONERS are tackling their building problems by scrumming down to pray at the local rugby clubhouse.

The Rev Nick Smeeton of St Stephen’s and All Martyr’s Church, was left with no choice other than to move his congregation after part of the church’s south wall collapsed.

Because the building is unsafe, the congregation is holding services next door at Higginshaw ARLFC.

English Heritage is helping to find the money for work to be done on the church, said to run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Rev Smeeton said: “It was quite dramatic when it came down. We are lucky we have support from English Heritage.

“We’re grateful to have friends at the rugby club who let us use the facilities — they even set the seats up for us on Sundays. The club has renovated the hall over the last two years and it’s just a great space for us.”

And he went on to praise his congregation: “They’re a good crowd, my lot, and we’ve actually got plans to grow the congregation while we are out of the church.”

An English Heritage spokeswoman said: “Once we have completed our assessment and our architects have made their own report, we will hold a meeting with the Heritage Lottery Fund to determine whether we can grant fund the repairs to the church.”