A LANDMARK church could close in two years if its finances are not brought under control.

The first stage in saving St Mary’s priory church in Chepstow came last week with the formation of a “Friends” group who will raise funds for the church, parts of which date back to the Norman Conquest.

Vicar of Chepstow, Rev Philip Averay, told a public meeting: “We need a vision of how we might not just save St Mary’s but bring it to a place where it flourishes and thrives and becomes part of the community as it once was.”

The bulk of the church’s income comes from regular donations from the 30 or so regular worshippers, most of whom are pensioners.

Rev Averay said: “St Mary’s costs on average £30,000 a year to run.

The current congregation, as generous as they have been over the years, can no longer sustain the cost of maintaining this building without the support of the broader community.”

The 40 or so people who attended the meeting in person or by video link were told the church would close in two years without a major boost in income.

Rev Averay said that while Christian worship would remain at the heart of the church’s activities he would like to see it once again the hub of the community with events such as concerts and even markets – like it had been some 200 years ago.

He said: “I’m suggesting we need to go back to the future to bring the community back into this place.

“This meeting is a call for support – this building is not just for the people who worship here on a regular basis.”

He said the Friends group would be an independent charity with the primary purpose of maintaining and developing the fabric of the building.

He added: “If that project is not successful, the future is that the building would close.

“The Friends would generate the understanding in the community that this place is in jeopardy and the interest and enthusiasm in the general community for this place as a place where things happen, not just the religious.”

He said that the group would work closely with the parochial church council (PCC) and could apply for grants that the PCC, as a religious body, could not.

A mandatory five-year survey of the church had been conducted in 2019 and the urgent works identified have been carried out.

He said there were also changes to the structure of local parishes which meant they could not continue to run a deficit.

He added: “We, along with our brothers and sisters in neighbouring parishes are to become one big ministry area and we want to be responsible brothers and sisters in Christ.”

Among the improvements considered desirable are the installation of toilets and upgrading the car park.

There are also ‘minor’ problems that need to be fixed such as the steps to the tower which means the flagpole cannot be accessed and sorting out the clock which does not chime at the moment – although these are not major problems, they contribute to the church not being more ‘visible’ in the local area.