Ten weddings cancelled at church in need of repair

The church remains closed and has appealed for funding for the maintenance work

Several couples have been left disappointed as a church in need of restoration work has cancelled 10 weddings.

St Matthew’s Church, Netley Marsh, Hampshire, has been shut since October 2023 for floor replacement work and had hoped to reopen in 2024.

During the £80,000 renovation at the 19th Century Victorian building they found the chancel was also unstable - leaving it unable to hold any services.

The church remains closed and has appealed for funding for the maintenance work.

During the £80,000 renovation of the floor at the 19th Century Victorian building they found the chancel was also unstable

Wendy Humphrey, from Totton, was due to marry her partner Terry at the church in May.

"It's a local church and is very pretty, with a lot of history for my family as my sister got married there, so I was looking forward to getting married there too," she said.

"I did know when I booked the church that work was going on but they told me that it would be completed in time for our wedding.

"I was disappointed to hear that I couldn't get married there but the vicar came to us with a solution and an alternative church which is also lovely."

The couple will now have their service at St Mary's Church in Copythorne.

Reverend John Reeve said: "This has really impacted the local couples hoping to get married.

"People are really understanding but they have been disappointed because there are a lot of personal connections with the church going back generations."

The couples have all been offered an alternative church for their weddings.

'Difficult time to fundraise'

Mr Reeve said that restorations are important for churches like St Matthew's and believes "more needs to be done to look after our historic buildings".

"We don't receive any money centrally and had already raised funds to pay for the floor replacement. Now we're back to square one."

He has been at the church for 24 years, and has previously run marathons to raise money for the venue.

He said they are currently in the process of working out how much the chancel work will cost but that his congregation have been very generous with their support.

"It is a difficult time to fundraise as people are stretched all over which is why we are so grateful for the donations that have been made," Mr Reeve said.