Six former churches across the West Midlands given new leases of life as figures show a third of churches face 'uncertain future'
A new survey has shown that almost a third of churches across the UK face an uncertain future and the possibility of not being used as a place of worship by the end of the decade.
As many as 2,000 have reported that they might not be used as a place of worship by the end of the decade and the results reflect changes seen across the country, including the West Midlands.
Comedian Hugh Dennis, currently starring as a man of the cloth in a theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest in London, has thrown his weight behind a campaign to save churches, saying they “must remain at the heart of our heritage”.
The National Churches Trust, a charity which helps churches stay open and in use, commissioned a survey of more than 3,000 churches from various denominations across the UK.
It found that one in 20 churches, which it said was equivalent to about 2,000 churches UK-wide, said they would either “definitely” or “probably” not be used as a place of worship by 2030.
Overall, almost two-thirds of churches said they were confident they would “definitely” remain open, but 27 per cent were less certain and could only say they would “probably” remain open as a place of worship in five years’ time.
The survey also found five per cent said they would probably not or definitely not stay open, with the remaining four per cent saying they did not know.
The West Midlands has lost a number of its own churches in recent years, with several having been given new life and new purposes.
Here are six West Midlands churches which have faced mixed fortunes in recent years and taken on new life:
Fordhouses Methodist Church
Wolverhampton Council turned down a move to knock down the empty former Fordhouses Methodist Church off Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, and replace it with nine two- and three-bedroom homes.
The local authority’s planners said the site had been “established” for community use and would be ‘overdeveloped’ with nine new homes – calling the plan’s layout, design and landscaping “poor".
The council also said the asking price for the site had been set “unrealistically high” at £450,000.
Newton Road United Reformed Church
The old Newton Road United Reformed Church in Great Barr would be cleaned up and converted into a new Kung Fu Shaolin Mantis martial arts gym and new offices and flats under a proposal by GIS Investments.
