USERS of a church hall that has been recommended for closure have expressed their opposition to the plans, stating the venue is an important part of the community.

St Nicholas’ church hall on New Street, Sutton, has been earmarked for closure after it was considered “no longer viable or sustainable”.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Liverpool explained the recommendation forms part of a comprehensive ‘Right Buildings Process’ by Church St Helens which assesses the viability of the Anglican church buildings across the town.

Among the groups who use the hall at St Nicholas’ on a regular basis is Voltic Fitness, run by personal trainer Phil Quirk, who leads three sessions a week at the hall.

Phil said the loss of the hall would be “detrimental” to the community.

 “We have about 50 different people a week, we’re all from the local area within a two-mile radius,” he said.

“Lots of people turn up and have a chat, it’s a bit of a community feel, we all get together, it is a space to meet up.”

Phil says closure would mean the group would have to look at different facilities but says “there’s not many in the St Helens area” and especially with so many users who walk to the hall.

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“It’s detrimental for the area," he added.

"There’s not much to do, it has given people something to do and something to look forward to, rather than being sat in by themselves, especially with working from home.”   

Phil, 32, who has based the group at the hall for the past two years, said relocating would be like “starting from scratch” again.

“It was hard enough through Covid. I’m sure people would want it to stay open if possible.”

A spokesperson for Church St Helens said: “We can confirm that we have proposed to the PCC (parochial church council) that the church hall at St Nicholas is no longer viable or sustainable and that it should close.

“This difficult but sensible decision has come following a long process, which we call the Right Buildings process, where a team of local people have assessed the strengths, weaknesses and potential of each church building in St Helens.

“We need to focus the time, talent and energy of our clergy and lay people on our mission to bring more people to Jesus and make a bigger difference in the world. Having the wrong buildings distracts us from that important work.”

They added: “We understand that this is difficult for those who feel passionate about the hall however the proposal for this and the other buildings in the area represent the best way forward for enabling the good work being carried out by Christians across the town to grow and develop.”

Should the proposals be accepted, the hall at St Nicholas’ would be be demolished.