Parish Council secures Methodist Church building for community

Some good news for Christmas!

Duffield Parish Council is delighted to announce the purchase of the former Methodist Church buildings on King Street.

After the church closed as a place of worship in late 2024, the Council quickly expressed interest in acquiring the site for use as a village hall and community facility.

With extensive work behind the scenes led by Cllr's Roger Harrison, Steve Knee and John Shoesmith, later joined by Cllr's Greg Broadbent and Mark Spilsbury, a village donor very quickly came forward who has made this amazing project a reality. With the very kind donation of funds from the local benefactors, who have chosen to remain anonymous, the sale was completed mid-December. Over the coming months, the Council will develop and share a strategy for the building's future involving as many members of the community as possible. 2026 now looks set to be an exciting year for Duffield!

Council Chairman Cllr Mark Spilsbury said: "The purchase of the Methodist Church is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to realise a long-held ambition to develop a community resource that enhances village life. We've reached this point thanks to an incredibly generous donation; although the donors wish to remain anonymous, the Parish Council and the village owes them a huge thank you."

For enquiries or contributions/suggestions towards the development of the Village Hall, please contact Parish Clerk, Fay Craig at clerk@duffieldparishcouncil.gov.uk or the Parish Council Chairman Mark Spilsbury at m.spilsbury@duffieldparishcouncil.gov.uk.