Appeal to save Rugeley church from closure

The Church of the Good Shepherd opened in 1959

An appeal has been launched to raise £1,000 to save a small church from closure.

The Church of the Good Shepherd, on the Pear Tree estate in Rugeley, needs repairs and a safety inspection.

A residents group, The Good Shepherds, has been set up to find the money.

Members said the church had been "at the heart of our community for generations", but was threatened by "a lack of volunteers, income and much-needed maintenance".

The church opened in 1959 and was designed as a community centre for the estate, which was developed to provide homes for miners working at the newly-opened Lea Hall Colliery.

The Good Shepherds are more than half way towards their target and said: "In the future we hope to build [the church] into a thriving community hub for everyone to enjoy."