Church redevelopment hailed as Godsend

The Observer reported last week how local and county councillor Michael Ensor is mid-way through renovating St John's Church, Victoria Road.

And the previous congregation say the centre - aimed at those in their late teens - will be well worth their old pews and pulpits being ripped out.

Alan Greenhalgh, secretary for the United Reform Church in Bexhill, was part of the congregation of St John's who moved to St George's in Cantelupe Road after battling with mounting maintenance costs in 2007.

"We are delighted," he said. "It's great to see some of the spirit of the old church going to good use.

"It suits us as well because we didn't know what we could do with it. We didn't want to leave it for vandals.

"This helps us and it helps him, and so the people of Bexhill."

St John's narrowly avoided being snappped up by property developers after it was put on the market in late 2007 with planning permission to replace the building with 14 apartments and underground parking.

But a slumping market produced no buyer, and after Cllr Ensor approached Guy Morfett, property officer for the United Reform Church, the Bexhill congregation threw their support behind the scheme, waiving the lease for five years.

Alan, of Gillham Wood Road, Cooden, rejected the idea the church had been abandoned.

In a letter written to The Observer this week, Alan said: "Any items left there such as crockery and cutlery were left deliberately in the hope they would be useful."

"We could never get that boiler working," Alan added. "But he's managed to fix it within a couple of weeks."

Next month, Bexhill College are booked in for the newly-created stage space's first use - a performance art workshop.

Alan added: "It's been a Godsend for us that he's been able to do this, and we wish him the very best with it."

To read Alan's letter explaining the United Reform Church's view, please turn to page 6.