A new steering group has been formed to investigate future uses for the former church of St Mary’s in Brymbo.

It follows recent work on the building’s roof to install guards to prevent slates sliding to the ground, and repairs to stonework on several gable ends. Both schemes of work were carried out under instruction from the Church in Wales, which owns the building.

All fencing around the building has now been removed and full access to the churchyard has been restored

St Mary’s Church, a grade II listed building, closed for worship in 2022. The large churchyard surrounding the building, maintained by the Alyn Mission Area, remains open for burial of ashes and for visitors.

The recently formed steering group includes residents, local councillors, former members of the congregation, representatives of local groups, the Mission Area and Diocese of St Asaph. They will be meeting regularly to explore options to transfer the building to community ownership for use once again by local people.

The chair of the new group, local resident, Lorraine Sandford said: “We are looking to explore all sorts of options to keep this beautiful building in community ownership. We’ll be asking local people what they would like to see happen to it and how they can get involved.

“Projects such as this require a big investment to repair, update and maintain the building, as well as lots of people to volunteer their time and skills to turns plans into a reality.”

“We’re hoping to bring on board a wide range of partners to support us in this project and look forward to hearing from anyone with ideas.”

Earlier this year, the Church in Wales launched a new policy to support the transfer of closed churches into community ownership. The policy states: “The Church in Wales is committed to ensuring that closed churches and halls which are no longer required to support the mission of the Church can continue to play a positive role in local communities. Where possible, we seek to enable these buildings to contribute to the wellbeing and long-term sustainability of the communities they serve.”

Among the group’s membership is the local representative on Wrexham Borough Council and chair of Brymbo Community Council, Cllr Paul Rogers. He said: “St Mary’s Church has been a significant place in the lives of the people of Brymbo over generations. We hope this group, with the support of local people, businesses and partnership organisations can develop plans to ensure the building can re-open and serve its community in new ways going forward.”

Earlier this year, the Diocese of St Asaph ran a series of consultation activities to gather views from local people and organisations on what might be possible for St Mary’s. This new group emerged from those meetings having identified a desire to keep the building in community use. It follows a previous attempt by Friends of St Mary’s to lease the building from the church in 2024. A representative of the Friends of St Mary’s is now involved in this new group.

St Mary’s Church was opened in 1872 and served the growing workforce of the nearby iron works. It is a Victorian gothic structure and commands views across Wrexham.

You can find out more about recent activity connected to St Mary’s in Brymbo at https://dioceseofstasaph.org.uk/brymbo/