Peterborough church faces closure as volunteer number dwindles

St Augustine’s Church in Woodston is facing an uncertain future due to both concerns about the amount of money that would be required to repair the building and the amount of volunteers willing to help maintain and run it.

The building itself requires significant repairs, most notably to the roof, and the church has been hit further by the decision of the current churchwarden to step down after many years of service.

The church maintains a congregation of around 25 people, however, the challenges it now faces has put its future in doubt.

At the recent Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in May, it was agreed that “even were there to be sufficient financial resources to repair, maintain and restore the building, the challenge would still be too great to find enough people willing and able to help keep the building open and in good order.”

This led to Parochial Church Council to ask the Rural Dean of Yaxley Deanery, of which the church is part, The Reverend Canon Sarah Gower to seek advice from the Diocese of Ely as to the church's future.

Church services are only scheduled to continue as normal until the end of September and beyond then, it is not known for certain what will happen to the church. Should the required help not be found, one of the options would be for the Diocese to hand over the building to The Churches Conservation Trust. The trust would repair the building but it would close to worshippers and control of its cemetery would revert to the city council.

One of the parishioners who would like to see the church saved is Richard Hutchinson. He said: “The church still means a lot to many people and has a lot of history. For me, I grew up going to the church and it’s where my aunt and mother got married.

"There used to be a really strong congregation of around 75 and given that there are a lot of new houses being built in the area, so hopefully it can grow again. I have been in touch with the Diocese of Ely and they have assured me that if we can get together enough support, then they will help us with our claim to keep the church open.”

The church itself is believed to have been rebuilt around the Victorian period after the previous church on the site fell into disrepair.

Reverend Gower, who also acts as minister for Christ Church in Orton Goldhay and Orton Malborne, St Andrew’s in Alwalton and St Michael’s in Chesterson, has stressed that services will continue as normal at the church for now but that worshippers would be welcome at any other Church of England churches in the area.

She said: “St Augustine’s Church has faced a number of challenges in recent years. One of the main difficulties recently has been that for a variety of reasons it has not been possible to find the volunteers needed to help maintain the church building and support the day-to-day maintenance activities that all old buildings of these types require.

"After many years of tireless service, the current churchwarden will be stepping back from their duties in October. Despite there being a small worshipping community numbering about 25 people at the church, there is unfortunately no-one available to provide the time required to fulfil the administrative and caretaking role needed to look after the building after the current churchwarden steps back from their role.

"This realisation (regarding the issues) has led the APCM to ask the small Parochial Church Council to take this decision forward. The PCC has subsequently asked me to seek advice from the appropriate Diocesan office teams on the possible

next steps. In the coming months I will await guidance from the Diocesan office for what possibilities remain available to the church moving forward.

"In the meantime, it is important to emphasise that while the use of the church building as a place of worship is uncertain after October, as further considerations and possibilities for what happens to it are being explored, services at the church will continue at 11am every Sunday until at least the end of September, to which all remain most welcome.

"While the future remains uncertain for St Augustine’s Church after October, the current worshipping community and all those seeking prayer and support will be welcomed at any of the other churches in the Deanery or the wider Diocese.”

Those who wish to offer their support to the church are welcome to contact the Revd Canon Sarah Gower via email at [email protected].