Historic church damaged by fire to resume services

Services are set to resume by the weekend at a historic Leicester church hit by fire.

A fire at St Andrew's in Jarrom Street, Leicester, broke out on Tuesday night, causing severe damage to the church roof.

At its height, more than 40 firefighters tackled the fire at the 19th Century building, which has been determined to have started by accident on the ground floor before spreading.

But just days on, the church community has rallied and will see a return of services "as normal" from Saturday but relocated to the church hall.

In its parish newsletter, the church said it was "much more than the building" and would be resuming services, beginning with an 08:30 BST mass.

Volunteers will then be asked to bring buckets, mops, materials, biscuits and "a friend as well" to help with cleaning the hall from 09:00.

The church said due to slates "falling from the roof" the Gateway Street side of the church remains unsafe, while fencing is being installed to secure the building.

As a result there is no car parking at St Andrew's following the fire.

The Reverend Richard Trethewey, Archdeacon of Leicester, said the church was "hoping things can find new life after this terrible event".

"One of the most humbling things about this has been the offers of help," he said.

"Because there is so much activity that goes on here on a daily basis, the offers that have come in from such a diverse range of places is really encouraging."

According to the church's website, the building was constructed in 1862 and it is an Anglo-Catholic parish in the Diocese of Leicester.

The Victorian Society said the Grade II* listed building was an unaltered Sir George Gilbert Scott church which only recently had cleaning inside to reveal "polychrome brickwork and delicate stencilled patterns on the walls which 150 years of pollution had obscured".

But no injuries were reported in the fire despite significant damage to the church, particularly in the chapel of St John.

A coffin prepared for the funeral of a church warden was rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus from inside.

Pastoral assistant Liam Keatley told the BBC the coffin had been placed in vigil ahead of the funeral of a "beloved" warden.

The funeral was moved to an alternative venue on Wednesday while investigations and structural assessments continued.

Bishop of Loughborough, the Right Reverend Saju Muthalaly, said: "The role of the church is to bring people together, to help make sense of loss and sadness, to remind people they are not alone.

"That's what St Andrew's has been for generations and that ministry will continue regardless of what has happened to the building.

"The role of the church is bringing people together in prayer and worship and that's what's happening here in tragic circumstances."

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