St John’s Church plans to remove pews for a ‘flexible space’
A ST PETER PORT church is hoping to encourage more people to visit by creating extra space for coffee mornings and other events.
St John’s in Les Amballes has made a planning application to have four rows of pews removed which, if approved, will see the 1838 building have a larger area available next to its kitchen.
People’s warden Annette Stewart said that although the church has a hall across the road, it was already well-used by groups such as a pre-school which runs in the mornings and a gymnastics club.
‘The idea is it will just make this space completely flexible,’ she said.
More room will also benefit the term-time afternoon club, which currently sees more than 20 children from Amherst School attend after school each day, until they are picked up at about 6pm.
Should extra seating be needed, say for a large funeral, chairs can be put out as necessary.
‘We’re trying to encourage people to come in,’ said church volunteer Michelle Le Clerc.
There were a lot of people on their own and this would provide them with somewhere to go where they could talk to others.
The idea of providing a community cafe is one of those being considered or perhaps inviting people in to do crafts. ‘At the moment we’ll just see how people respond,’ said Mrs Stewart.
When and if permission is given the church would seek quotes for the work.
It would not be the first time pews had been removed, with a kitchen added some 10 years ago.
The pews are thought to be made of deal, a soft wood from the pine tree. Mrs Stewart said that it was possible they could be offered to the Creative Learning in Prison charity, which could see Guernsey prisoners re-purposing the pews as smaller benches or putting the wood to other use.
