Services to end at two churches in same village

Services are to finish at two separate churches in a village in the same month.

Congregations at the Methodist and Roman Catholic churches in Duffield, near Derby, have been told they will both close to worship in September.

Church-goers will then have to travel to Allestree and Belper for regular services.

The future use of both buildings in Duffield is yet to be decided.

The Trinity Methodist Church on King Street, Duffield, was built in 1904.

Church steward Brenda Wigley said they were still seeking permission from district Methodist leaders to close, but a final date for services had been set for Sunday 1 September.

She said: "Eight of our managing trustees are aged over 80 and I myself am 92.

"There just aren't the people coming through to fill the roles. We have about 26 members, and about 17 come to church on a regular basis."

Mrs Wigley said all of the church buildings will be sold to the highest bidder.

"We are looking forward," she added. "I have already booked some monthly meetings at the Weston Centre.

"We will meet as a Christian community and may have some worship."

The existing congregation is also being encouraged to attend St John’s Methodist Church, in Birchover Way, Allestree, Derby.

Meanwhile, worshippers at St Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Church on Hall Farm Road, Duffield, have been told its services will end on 8 September.

The nearest similar services will then be held at Catholic churches in Allestree and Belper.

In a letter to the congregation, the Bishop of Nottingham, the Rt Rev Patrick McKinney, said it was to ensure "our resources are used to best advantage".

He said there had been three years of discussions on how to cope with a cut in the number of clergy and lay preachers.

"With this in mind, I have determined that from Sunday 8th September the sacraments will no longer be celebrated in the church of Saint Margaret Clitherow, Duffield," he added.

"The longer-term future of the church is a matter for discussions and consultation, both within the parish and throughout the Deanery."

Former pastoral council member Kathy Gorman said they had been assured community groups could continue to use the building .

"Some people have been upset - some have been resigned to it," she said.

The church was built in 1981 after a fund-raising effort by the congregation after the land was donated.

Duffield has three other churches - St Alkmund's (Anglican) on Church Drive, Duffield Baptist Church on Makeney Road and the Emmanuel Christian Centre on Chapel Street.

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