Church with 12 worshippers to turn into community centre

Elders at the Fairland United Reform Church in Wymondham say it no longer has "a viable long-term future as a church".

But while around a dozen attend Sunday worship, more than 300 attend groups and other activities in the building, on Fairland Hill.

Elder Trevor Brown said: "Our congregation on a Sunday is usually 12. It's mainly an older person's group. Our numbers are declining and there's no prospect of them increasing.

"Whereas the church is rapidly declining the public use of our facilities continues to grow and are used by many organisations in the field of mental health, social care, several choirs, mother and baby support groups, yoga classes a dementia cafe and a community cinema.

"Therefore the loss of the church facilities would have a devastating impact on Wymondham and the local community."

Elders hope to turn the building into a social enterprise, meaning it would be owned and run by the local community.

"We are now seeking funding from a variety of sources to enable this to become a reality with a target period of two years to achieve this goal," said retired social worker Mr Brown, 82.

"Our buildings are in good condition, adapted and accessible for those with mobility difficulties.

"The church has a modern sound system and modern cinema facilities. Our challenge and task is, if we are to survive, is to create a sense of popular community ownership of our buildings which are important to so many, without losing the heritage of faith and the values it represents."

The church has set itself a two-year target to raise £60,000, which would be used to employ a project manager, whose brief would be to set up a business plan, constitution and management committee.

Mr Brown said: "There are many issues still to be resolved both practical and legal but the church locally and nationally supports the proposals outlined, we now need the support of our local community to ensure that our buildings remain available for them."