Sikh group's plans for Wolves church to become community centre
An iconic church which has links to the birth of Wolves could be handed over to the Sikh community to be used as a centre for the homeless and vulnerable, it can be revealed.
Leaders of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Sedgley Street, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton, have expressed an interest in buying the nearby Grade-II listed St Luke's Church in Goldthorn Hill.
They have suggested turning it into an outreach centre.
The church is next to St Luke's School, the birthplace of St Luke's FC which later became Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A feasibility report prepared by the Church Commissioners listed six potential options for the building, with the homeless outreach centre described as the most feasible option.
If that is rejected, the leaders of the Gurdwara have also indicated that they would be keen to take the building to develop as a Sikh education centre.
The report states: "Although some locals expressed the view that the sale of St Luke's to anyone prepared to care for it should be welcomed, there are likely to be sensitivities among others regarding the transfer of the site to a non-Christian group."
It adds: "In practical terms, St Luke's would be sold to a new owner with a track record of running a successful charitable subsidiary within the local area.
"The possibility of joining forces with other faith groups would make business management more complex, but potentially more inclusive and sustainable."
The viability of the option will be investigated further due to the listed status of St Luke's.
The other options listed include doing nothing and leaving the building empty as it is, turning it into a multi-purpose heritage/community centre, a commercial development, or demolition.
Reverend Richard Aspin-Bradley of St Luke's Church said: "I don't have a particular favourite out of the six options.
"As a church family we would obviously love to see it used in a way that will benefit the whole community.
"My own personal view is that I want to see it preserved for the long term and to benefit the whole community, not just one group."
The future of the 156-year-old church, which has not been used since 2009, has hung in the balance for a number of years due to repair costs.
Leaders from the Gurdwara were unavailable for comment.
