AN EMERGENCY meeting is being held to try to secure the future of Horspath’s century-old Methodist chapel.

The meeting was called after it emerged the chapel could be sold to developers.

The Methodist Church said that due to dwindling numbers of worshippers in the village, it was reviewing the chapel’s future.

Trustees will gather to decide its fate on Wednesday, March 3.

Villagers are being urged to attend a meeting at the Oxford Road chapel at 7pm on Monday to draw up a plan of action to keep the building in community use.

Campaigner Anna Radcliffe, of Gidley Way, said the chapel was an integral part of the village and should be saved.

The 65-year-old part-time social worker said: “I think it would be extremely sad if it was sold. The village would be so sad to see it go. It’s a small village and we need all the community resources we can get.

“There may be lots of people in the village who really don’t realise that the chapel is in imminent danger of being sold off, so I decided that it would be a good idea to hold a meeting for the whole village just to see if we’re going to let this go or put together a proposal for renting the building from the Methodist Church.”

Mrs Radcliffe said villagers would not be able to buy the chapel, but added: “We need to get our act together now.

“People have suggested it could be a cafe. The Garden Club would like to continue using it and it’s an ideal place for children’s parties.”

In 2005, the Methodist Church spent £100,000 renovating the building, in an effort to make it a more comfortable place to worship and provide more opportunities for community groups to use it.

The Rev Dr Martin Wellings, chairman of the group of trustees from local Methodist churches who will decide the chapel’s fate, said: “The Methodist congregation decided that they didn’t want to have Sunday services any more.

“It was a very small group of people, so they passed over responsibility for the chapel to a wider group of churches and we’re working out what to do with it.

“Selling it will be one option. I’m sure we would consider renting it to the village.

“I think the challenge for it continuing as a place of worship is that there isn’t a congregation. We will consider very seriously any suggestion that comes forward.”

He added that if the building was sold off, it could possibly be demolished by new owners.