Residents in Beeston are discussing plans to bring the redundant Holy Spirit church on Tempest Road back into use as a community facility.
The Church of the Holy Spirit was built in 1905, and became a much-loved icon at the heart of the community – by both the church members, and also many in the wider community. It was most recently led by the popular Rev Bob Shaw.
However, it became increasingly overlooked locally, it closed as an active church in early 2012, and has essentially laid empty since then. Since its closure, a group of Beeston residents have been talking with the Church of England about the possibility of the building being made available to the local community, to use for a wide range of activities.
A meeting on Tuesday (21 July 2015) will discuss ideas for how the building could be used in the future. Representatives from the Church of England who own Holy Spirit and residents who have been looking at ideas for the building will lead the discussion, but they are keen to hear other ideas from the local community.
Ed Carlisle, one of the local residents involved, said:
“The vast majority of local people have never been inside Holy Spirit, but everyone who does falls in love with the place! So we’re getting a lot of interest from a very wide range of local people, and maybe we can turn the space into something really special.
“Nothing is guaranteed at the moment, but we’re really keen to hear people’s thoughts and ideas, give people the opportunity to see inside, and hopefully get them involved.”
You can drop in to the church, which is on the corner of Tempest Road and Stratford Street, at any time between 4pm and 6pm on Tuesday to look around and have an informal chat. The meeting will take place at 6pm.
For more information email: edcleeds@gmail.com.
It is a lovely building and a great space, and I really hope that a way can be found to bring it back into community use. The last time I was in there, a young man was playing the organ beautifully.