AN OTLEY church has secured a new home in the heart of town.

Bethel Church has taken ownership of what was James Barber Tobacconist and Artamis Gifts, on Westgate.

The large property has been empty since early 2019 when Mr Barber moved his physical shop - the business is also online - to Harrogate.

Bethel Church, keen to establish a permanent, central base, has had its eye on the place for some time. Now it has received the keys to the premises which it is aiming to turn into a community resource as well as a place of worship.

Refurbishment work will be carried out over the coming months ‘to bring access and services up to the standards required for a large community hub’.

The work will include adding new toilets and modern catering facilities, improving accessibility and completing what the church says will be ‘a sensitive refurbishment which will strike a careful balance between the building’s heritage and contemporary church needs’.

The church is hoping to move quickly to a tender process with local builders and aims to move into the building in the autumn, when the public will be invited in to have a look around.

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Bethel Church leader - and Otley Town Council Chair - Richard Hughes said: “As the town council chair I am really pleased that these premises are now safe for the future and for our community.

“As a church member, I am excited at the potential of the building and what we will be able to do with it.”

Mike Dennis, a member of the church leadership team responsible for overseeing the purchase and refurbishment, said: “It is tremendously exciting to finally have the keys to 20-24 Westgate.

“From the moment that we first viewed the property it seemed a most suitable place for us to have as a church: central to the town with the large rear extension affording a perfect meeting space, and with a spacious foyer.

“Bethel Church has been preaching the good news that is Jesus Christ for many years in Otley, and this is a great facility in which we shall continue to do this once refurbishment works have been completed.”

Bethel Church Pastor Chris Haley added: “We are so excited to have a new home in the heart of Otley. With so much bad news around, we’re looking forward to being able to share some better news from this central base. We intend to welcome other groups to use our building too, as well as using the facilities ourselves to serve the community.”