A church in Salford is facing a major challenge as millions of pounds worth of repairs are needed to remain open.
The church on the hill, known as St Luke’s Church in Weaste was designed in 1865 by Victorian architect George Gilbert Scott, and it is the church where suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst wed her husband.
In 1980, St Luke’s was marked as a grade two listed building – but has since been placed onto the historic buildings at risk register.
Between 2021 and 2023, the church was in vacancy without a vicar, and throughout this time, there were conversations with the diocese of Manchester considering whether the church staying open was a viable option.
In a bid to keep the church open, they aimed to raise funds for the roof, which was in disrepair, which saw a community response as people began to donate roof tiles in memory of loved ones or as wedding and birthday gifts.
In September 2023, Reverend Jo Jarret took over the parish and praised the community response.
She said: “The community really rallied around the church, and that showed the church community how much Weaste, Seedley and Langworthy wanted St Luke’s to stay open.”
Reverend Jo spoke about the importance the church has for the community, as she said: “Salfordians like to use St Luke’s because they were baptised there, they got married there and then they want their funeral there, so it’s got of historical importance for the families around.
“They want to come back to a place they have known and loved. So, for them not to be able to do that would have been a great sadness.”
The future for St Luke’s is looking brighter since Reverend Jarret has taken over, and the congregation is growing, and their donations have increased.
However, Reverend Jo said that the church still has “a long way to go”, as millions of pounds worth of repairs are still required to be replaced.
The church in Salford are currently fundraising to ensure they can continue to serve the community for future generations and donations can be made here.
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