A charity wanting to turn a redundant church into a homeless shelter has started its fundraising in earnest to appoint a project director and start refurbishment work.

The Emmaus commune-style charity, where residents will be self-supporting, needs £2.3m to make it all happen.

It says new life will be breathed back into one of the city’s most imposing landmarks, St Mary’s Catholic Church on the Shipley-Airedale Road, once builders move in.

The use of the listed building was provided by the Leeds Diocese as a “generous gift” to the non-religious charity.

Darren Birkinshaw, a Bradford property solicitor and chairman of the group behind the project, said its ethos was to give the 20 to 27 ‘companions’ who would live there a bed and a reason to get out of it.

They have to sign off benefits, therefore saving the Council money, and work renovating and re-selling furniture to support their community.

Drugs and alcohol are banned.

In return, companions develop new skills and re-build lost confidence. They get accommodation, food, clothing and an allowance.

The presbytery will be turned into accommodation space, a mezzanine floor will be put in for more beds and the main body of the church will be used for storage, a shop and a cafe open to the public.

Mr Birkinshaw said a strong steering group had now been established and a project plan prepared. The group is now applying for formal affiliation to Emmaus UK, which has Terry Waite as its president and the Duchess of Cornwall as its patron. The steering group also wants to hear from anyone with past connections to the church who has memories or photographs to help build an archive to celebrate the life of the building.

To find out more about the project e-mail darrenbirkinshaw@schoeys.com