Churches 'need kitchens and loos'

Churches in Suffolk need to install kitchens and toilets to make them accessible to the whole community, a church trust has said.

Suffolk Historic Churches Trust said church leaders have been warned they need to make an effort to develop "community centres" to survive.

The church agreed wholeheartedly with the comments, a Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich spokesman said.

However, there are issues adapting listed medieval buildings, he said.

The trust said the whole community needs to be involved with the local church to help preserve the church building - and this could be through broader uses.

We have issues with how we put running water and sewerage into medieval buildings Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich spokesman

Robert Rous, chairman of the trust, said: "I think each different community needs to look at what it needs but at the very least, perhaps a weekly coffee morning or something like that.

"The things that they're [the churches] missing are probably loos and some sort of kitchen or coffee-making thing and that's perhaps the first step to a wider use.

"They are what make up Suffolk, they are sort of real beacons and the worshiping community themselves are very occupied in paying for the vicar, who himself serves the whole community."

The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, said it agreed with the comments as it "was important for the church going into the 21st Century". "We have been reviewing church buildings across Suffolk and how they serve their communities," a spokesman said.

The church said a community coffee morning had been started within St Mary's church, Burgate, near Diss and at St Mary's Church, Wilby, near Eye, a "green loo" had been installed outside the church which needed only electricity to operate.

However, the spokesman added: "We have issues with how we put running water and sewerage into medieval buildings and 95% of our buildings in Suffolk are listed."