Plea to Catholic church leaders (From Preston and Leyland Citizen)

Plea to Catholic church leaders

11:13am Monday 6th August 2007

• Print
• Email
• Share

As a businessman I see it as vitally important that a city pulls in visitors.

So much can be made of landmark buildings. As a Liverpudlian I can think of half a dozen world famous landmarks in Merseyside that attract tourists and their spending money.

So it is with disappointment I hear of "consideration" by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster - the body which governs the church's organisation in Preston - to close a number of churches in the city including the historic St Walburge's.

St Walburge's has the third highest spire in the country and can be seen from miles around.

There is no reason why, like Barcelona for instance, the church could not be the heart of a busy and bustling district with cafes, bars and leisure activities. After all, it is well within the expanding university's campus.

I understand there are many reasons why the church needs to do this, and it argues nothing is final.

But for an expanding city like Preston, desperate to make its place in the north west, such a landmark is an essential part of the city.

I would call on the church authorities to think about this decision in depth before making it.

• Print
• Email
• Share