Cllr Andrew Cooper's speech at the final service at St John's Church, Newsome - 5/3/23

 

It is my role today to talk about the future of St John’s

When I and my colleagues Sue Lee-Richards and Karen Allison were told of the likely closure of the church we were all of the same view and that was that it had to be saved for the community.

We have lost so much locally. Newsome Mills due to arson and the Mill ponds due to the Planning Inspectorate. So when it came to St Johns our view was ‘Not this time and not this building’

We formed a Community Benefit Society, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, with the express aim of making the church building into a Community café and Event space. So to be clear it is not the council taking over the building but the community of Newsome itself.

We will respect the buildings past and what it has meant to generations of local people who have been christened, married and had funerals here, We recognise the history and heritage of the building and we are pleased that the Church of England will continue to have a relationship with us as a member of ‘The Newsome Centre’s’ board.

Our vision, informed by hundreds of conversations with local people is to have a warm comfortable place where the community can come together, have a cuppa, have a chat, share the ups and downs of everyday life, maybe bend the ear of your local cllr.

We want people to celebrate life events here so not weddings but wedding receptions, not funerals but wakes certainly. We want this to be a centre for community events and a small conference centre.  It could well be a space for exercise classes. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to attending my first Yoga or pilates class here.

We will need your help to realise this vision. Architects One17 have costed up the elements of the project and we have a plan. The first job is to purchase the building and the Church of England are being very reasonable but we still need to raise the cash so please support our crowdfunder if you can and come and look at our plans in the Scout Hut after this service and ask us questions. We have set a target of 150 days from now to raise the funds needed. After that we will be looking to raise the money needed for a new toilet and kitchen block and we have a plan to raise those funds also.  Then we hope to be up and running.

Today is the end of one chapter of this building’s life and an important one but we have hope, and we have a plan and we have the goodwill of the community, so there will be a future/