Christchurch villagers have a chance to help their church reopen at special meeting

Villagers are being invited to have a say on the future of a currently closed parish church at a meeting on Saturday and in a parish survey.

The meeting is at Christchurch Community Centre, which is where Sunday worship has been held since the church closed for repairs.

Canon Mark Collinson, who is in charge of the Six Fen Churches which include the neighbouring villages of Manea, Doddington, Wimblington, Welney, and Benwick, explained that the aim of the meeting, which starts at 3pm, is to gather skilled people to make up a project team to manage the church repairs, which could cost as much as £1million and to help with grant applications.

The church is hoping to apply to the National Heritage Fund to help cover the costs.

Canon Mark said: “We hope that people of the village do not want a church that is closed at its heart, but that will be there for the future as a place of celebration and joy, for births and weddings, and a place of sanctuary and peace, for those who continue to grieve for their loved ones who are buried in the churchyard.

“The churchyard is still open for burials, and we are ready to re-engage with the community and school. We see the church as a heritage and cultural space that complements the new community centre, rather than being in competition with it.”

The village owes its name to the Church of Christ, which was built in 1864 by London-based architect John Giles.

The last renovation of the church was in 1994, when local people helped address the structural needs.

However, the church is now in need of significant repairs and improvements. The Victorian drainage needs replacing and the damp ceiling is falling down and needs restoring.

Canon Mark said: “The building requires repairs and support, but with people’s help, we can address these issues and start a new chapter in the history of our church.”

The parochial church council and the Ely Diocese have been attempting to address the problems, and the church sent out a survey asking people a series of questions on what the church means to people, whether if grants could be obtained the church should be brought back into use, and what additional facilities might be needed.

People were also asked if the church was not reopened as a place of worship what it could be used for instead.

People have until April 27 to complete the survey and return it to the church.