A group of residents are campaigning to preserve a nearly 120-year-old building which has been left derelict for the last 16 months.

The Old Mission in East Challow was opened as an Baptist church in 1904 and was running religious services until it ceased operation in October 2021.

A group of more than 20 residents from the village are now campaigning to reopen the building as a religious venue or turn it into a community centre.

Francesca Compostella was the first to contact the trustees of the building after religious services stopped.

She estimates she has sent more than 30 texts and emails over the last 16 months but has still not been given a clear answer on the building's future.

She said: “When they announced they were going to stop holding services, I got in touch asking whether we could keep it as part of our community.

“The way I see it, it is a building that has been donated to the community and should be used by the community.

“I was interested in using it for community events and activities to raise funds for people in need. We don’t have anywhere else similar. The village hall is very big and doesn’t serve the same purposes.

“There is a huge amount of development and more people coming to the area, but there is no community centre and all the pubs have shut. The village is at risk of becoming a dormitory with no heart.”

The group have met twice and are seeking a sit down meeting with the trustees to discuss future plans.

Parish and district councillor Paul Barrow said preserving the building would “rekindle some community spirit.”

He said: “We are trying to publicise it as much as we can and show that there is genuine interest in the site.

“I’m keen on making a bit of noise and fuss. If the developers turn up, we will be there with placards and signs.

“We have had a huge amount of development over the last few years and if more goes ahead then we will have a big population spike.

“One of the problems is that the pubs are shutting down. We used to have two pubs which are both now gone, and we used to have a small convenience shop on the estate which has shut down.

“There is huge merit in having a small meeting room where people can congregate for coffee. It could also be used as a warm space.”

The trustees of the Old Mission were contacted for comment but did not respond.