Church leaders are praying for a miracle with one third facing uncertain futures

CAMPAIGN IS LAUNCHED AFTER SURVEY REVEALS FEARS THAT MANY PLACES OF WORSHIP COULD DISAPPEAR BY 2030

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ALMOST a third of churches surveyed across the UK are said to have uncertain futures, with about 2,000 feeling they might not be used as a place of worship by the end of the decade.

Comedian Hugh Dennis, below, currently starring as a man of the cloth in a theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest in London, has thrown his weight behind a campaign to save them, saying they “must remain at the heart of our heritage”.

The National Churches Trust, a charity which helps churches stay open and in use, commissioned a survey of more than 3,000 churches from various denominations across the UK.

It found that one in 20 churches, which it said was equivalent to about 2,000 UK-wide, said they would either “definitely” or “probably” not be used as a place of worship by 2030.

Overall, almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of churches said they were confident they would “definitely” remain open.