Uncertainty over services at Four Weddings church

A historic church in Surrey which was a film location for Four Weddings and a Funeral is not under threat of closure, the Church of England has said.

St Michael's Church in Betchworth, near Reigate, was used for the first wedding in the 1994 rom-com starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell.

A post on social media had claimed that the place of worship was at risk of closure within weeks as it was without a churchwarden.

However, the Diocese of Southwark told the BBC there was "no expectation" that the church would need to close, but a decision on the future of services would be made by the end of May.

A churchwarden is a voluntary role usually held by a parishioner and aids in the day-to-day running of the building and its services.

The Diocese of Southwark said: "At the moment, St Michael's has no churchwarden and it's simply not possible to maintain the number of services (currently a fortnightly Holy Communion) it offers without one.

"There is no expectation that St Michael's would need to close.

"However, without a churchwarden worship services would be less frequent."

Four Weddings and a Funeral follows the hapless romantic escapades of Charles (played by Hugh Grant) and his eclectic circle of friends as they attend series of social events.

St Michael's featured as the location for the first wedding attended by the characters in the film.

The cast also featured Kristin Scott-Thomas, John Hannah and Simon Callow.

The Diocese added that the church was "hopeful that a suitable churchwarden may be found" in order to "maintain services at their current level".

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