Services at Four Weddings and a Funeral church under threat
Services at a church that featured in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, are under threat, the Church of England has confirmed.
St Michael’s Church in Betchworth, near Reigate, Surrey w1994 rom-com, which stars Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell and was written by Richard Curtis.
The BBC reported that posts had been circulating on social media claiming the church faced closure within weeks because it has no churchwarden.
The article comes after The Telegraph recently reported that up to a quarter of Church of England parishes do not have church wardens.
The role is voluntary and wardens are responsible for duties, including maintenance, supporting the parish priest and administrative tasks.
They are also generally responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the parish.
Rev Marcus Walker, chairman of the Save the Parish campaign group, said last month in response to the new data: “The national church loves to put paperwork onto the backs of clergy and volunteers, and then turns around and acts surprised when people find other things to do.”
The Diocese of Southwark, within which St Michael’s Church is situated, said there was “no expectation” that the church would be forced to close and that services have not yet been cut, but a decision on cutting services would be made by the end of May if no churchwarden is forthcoming.
A spokesman for the Diocese said: “Like many organisations, local churches rely on volunteers to help them run.
“One of the roles that is crucial is that of the churchwarden, who is responsible for the day-to-day functioning of a church.
“At the moment, St Michael’s has no churchwarden and it’s simply not possible to maintain the number of services (currently a fortnightly Holy Communion) it offers without one.
“There is no expectation that St Michael’s would need to close – however, without a churchwarden worship services would be less frequent.
“We are hopeful that a suitable churchwarden may be found so that we can maintain worship in the church at its current level.”
It is understood that the vicar has already had one person volunteer to take up the role in the wake of the concern.
Four Weddings and a Funeral was made in six weeks and cost just £3 million. It went on to gross more than £192 million worldwide and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
The plot follows protagonist, Charles, played by Hugh Grant, and his quirky friends as they attend social events The cast also featured Kristin Scott-Thomas, John Hannah and Simon Callow.
