Church hall saviour plea

AT risk . . . St Mark's Church Hall, Glodwick

5 More Image(s) In Gallery

A GRADE-II listed Glodwick landmark is at "immediate risk" unless £1million can be sourced to restore it.

St Mark with Christ Church was once a hive of activity with hundreds of residents using the site.

But its 60 existing active church members are faced with the momentous task of finding the funds to save their dilapidated church hall ­- a community space which lies adjacent to the main building.

This crumbling hall in Glodwick Road has holes in its exterior walls, a faulty roof and rain-damaged wooden floor to name but a few defects.

St Mark's community development co-ordinator Chris O'Donnell said: "The hall is gradually deteriorating but because it has listed status we are limited in what we can do.

"It needs a new roof, one of the walls needs to be taken down and rebuilt and the interior needs completely redoing.

"The wooden floor inside is completely damp throughout and partitions also need to be rebuilt.

"As the roof gets worse the building has actually deteriorated to the point where you can see gaps in the wall.

"Historically, the hall was really well used by youth clubs, the NHS, elderly residents and for exercise classes as well as being hired out for weddings.

"But unfortunately all that has gone by the wayside since its closure. It has been reduced to a giant store room which is a huge shame because demand is still very high."

Around three years ago the congregation was forced to close the church hall to residents after insurers said it posed legal liability issues.

Historic England is working with the congregation to restore the listed hall to its former glory.

The church was built in 1875 in a Gothic style with rusticated, squared stone blocks and Welsh slate roof tiles.

Heritage at Risk architect Peter Barlow, who first visited the site in 2011, said: "There have been long-standing problems with the building.

"Quite a lot of structural work has already been carried out on the church tower but the work required to the roof of the halls is quite complicated. Numerous slates were missing and a lot of water has unfortunately come through.

"As far as a solution goes, because it is still an active place of worship the church is eligible to apply for grants of up to £250,000 for any one phase of work.

"They could apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to help with the outside fabric of the building and community development work such as ramps and heating."

Historic England said: "The building is generally in very bad condition with the roof and high level stonework of particular concern.

"It is at immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric."

Once £1million is secured the construction work would only take around two months to complete.

The church is part-way through a two-year grant application from the National Lottery Fund as well as applications for several other smaller grants but none of these funding streams are certain.

Church members are also considering a £100,000 development project to convert the rear of the existing church building into a community hub.

This cheaper option would create an indoor space for groups and organisations to use in the short-term while funding is sought for the restoration of the hall.

For information or to donate to the cause contact Chris on 07933-637 608.