A CAMPAIGNER against the closure of a church hall in Dovecot, in the diocese of Liverpool, is trying to raise funds to buy it for continued community use. The building is on the market for £150,000.

The Church of the Holy Spirit, with which it was allied, was itself closed under the Mission and Pastoral Order 2011, in September. A petition started on the website change.org by a resident of Dovecot Knotty Ash, Toby Thistlewaite, lamented its loss as “a spiritual haven” and a “beacon of community”. The proposed closure, he said at the time, “leaves the local community without the benefits our church provides way beyond its religious offerings”.

A statement on the sale of the church hall, requested from the diocese, said: “Following a long period of discernment and consultation with community groups, the parish decided it no longer had the resources to sustain the management of the church hall.

“However, we have always maintained a desire that if possible the building is used for the community. Prior to our marketing exercise, we sought to work with existing users and encourage them to bring forward viable proposals. We continue to hope that through the marketing exercise, we will find someone who can use the church and hall for the benefit of the community.”

Wayne Blundell, who coaches ju-jitsu classes in the hall, has opposed the sale, telling the Liverpool Echo: “Selling the hall would be detrimental to everyone — kids as well as adults. It would have a terrible impact on the community if we couldn’t use it any more. The hall needs saving. It’s vital.”

Mr Blundell referred to activities held in the hall, including a foodbank. He has set up a GoFundMe page, on which he writes: “Church building halls play a central role in the social fabric and social infrastructure of communities in ways we don’t even necessarily think about until they’re not there.

“They are more than amenities. . . The isolation that came with the pandemic has affected our society in profound ways, and many communities are fractured. People need to feel that they belong again.