Sinking church faces closure if it can't raise £2m

A 170-year-old Anglican church which is sinking into the ground could be permanently closed unless up to £2m is raised to repair it.

St Mary Magdalene Parish Church in Outwood, which is built on the site of an old pit, is at risk of collapse, mainly because of the issues affecting its foundations.

A footpath through the churchyard from Church Lane to Leeds Road has already been closed to the public as a precaution.

The Reverend Diane Komorowski said that although the building may shut if the money is not found, the church community would not close and worship would take place elsewhere.

Following a structural engineer's report which concluded that the church building's problems with subsidence were worse than previously thought, architects have quoted between £1m and £2m to make the site safe.

Komorowski, who posted about the church's plight on Facebook, said: "While they can't give us a timescale, they're saying our building is very poorly indeed. And there is going to come a point in the not too distant future when it becomes unsafe.

"It's a really sad thing to happen because it's a beautiful space to worship in. I know the community loves that church.

"I've seen it in the responses we've had since Sunday, when I put the post out, and I can see the hurt, the disappointment, the sadness, the anger and the frustration and all the emotions that go on when you're faced with a situation like that, because it's been there for all of our lifetimes."

Online fundraising hoped raise the money needed, but Komorowski said she was "realistic enough to know it's unlikely" that the required funds would be generated.

The Church Institute, located opposite the church itself on Leeds Road, has been earmarked as a possible new home for services in the event of a move.

The vicar added: "Ultimately the church is not the building, it's the people.

"And the people will continue to worship in Outwood. We will continue to celebrate communion every week, we will continue to do our carol services and our Christingle services and all the other things that the church does."

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