Police searching for a missing 14-year-old boy in Trafford have issued an appeal for help to find him.
11.05.2023 - 08:43 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
It had a rich musical history. A famous composer was a choirboy there and some of its congregation sang in an episode of Coronation Street in the 1960s.
But Oldham council's demolition of the Victorian St John's Church, in Werneth, has hit a sour note with heritage groups. Town hall bosses opted for tearing down the building, founded in 1844 and consecrated in October 1845, as they fear it could attract vandals and "blight" the area.
But the council's reasoning has been condemned as a "dangerous precedent" and a "wasteful" act by the National Churches Trust and Victorian Society respectively.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
An aerial picture taken in 1947 shows how the church was at the centre of a community, then dominated by Werneth Mill and hundreds of terraced homes. The mill and the homes have gone, though, and after surviving longest, the church has too.
The Manchester Evening News reported last month that the former church, which has been closed since the 1980s, was set to be demolished. The local authority appointed a contractor, D. Hughes Demolition, to knock down St John's, in St John Street. Now the building has been bulldozed.
But Rachel Adams, communications manager for the National Churches Trust, said: “Sadly, there are 900 churches on the Heritage At Risk Register, and the Church of England is facing a £1 billion repair bill for its buildings over the next five years. Many parishes face severe challenges in keeping their buildings open and safe to use.
“We are deeply disappointed that the demolition of St John's in Werneth has gone ahead. It feels like a dangerous precedent that an unlisted heritage building can be demolished because of unbased fears that it could
Police searching for a missing 14-year-old boy in Trafford have issued an appeal for help to find him.
Ant McPartlin didn't expect to grab the spotlight from the acts just moments into the first live semi-final of Britain's Got Talent 2023, but viewers flocked to Twitter with their concern as he suffered a hard fall. The ITV star took a tumble as he ran onto the stage after he and co-host Declan Donnelly introduced judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, Bruno Tonioli and Simon Cowell and special guest star Diversity.
Emergency services were called to a crash involving two cars in Oldham. Fire and rescue were called to Hollinwood Avenue in Chadderton at around 3:30pm on Monday (May 29).
A Britain's Got Talent act who made history by receiving the first ever group golden buzzer has been hailed by viewers as the 'best audition ever.'
The mother of a 20-year-old brutally murdered as violence erupted at Manchester's Caribbean Carnival said she will be forever haunted by her son's death. Javell Morgan was stabbed to death in Moss Side last summer, when two groups of young men from Huddersfield clashed in the street, one side armed with guns, the other with knives.
Richard Arnold caused quite the stir on Good Morning Britain on Friday (May 26) while celebrating 50 years of The Rocky Horror Show.
A little boy with a huge love of Metrolink was all smiles after transport bosses sent him a surprise bag of goodies. Isaac Hardman, four, adores all things to do with the region's tram system, and, according to his mum, watches trams everyday on YouTube on his tablet.
A teenage boy accused of murder admitted stabbing a 17-year-old but claimed he was trying to 'diffuse' a fight. The 16-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is on trial after being charged following the death of Kyle Hackland.
Tallulah Serns has been through a lot lately.
Officers have issued an urgent appeal to track down a wanted man from Manchester. Greater Manchester Police says Jamie Karl Pruden failed to appear in court over alleged drug offences.
Detectives are appealing for witnesses after a 15-year-old boy was shot in south Manchester. The teen is in hospital following the shooting on Salutation Street in Hulme on Wednesday night.
A pervert who groomed 'a 13-year-old girl' and arranged to meet her for sex was caught in a police sting. Nikolas Buchholz had actually been talking to an undercover cop who had set up a false profile.
Good Morning Britain's latest episode was briefly paused as the show's stars took time to bid farewell to one of their colleagues. Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard were back at the helm of the ITV news programme on Friday (May 19).
A GMP officer used a fake marriage certificate after she was caught telling 'lies' about her wedding during the covid pandemic, a misconduct hearing has heard.
A dad has been jailed for life for murdering his 'undernourished' son. Michael Harrison inflicted fatal injuries on 11-year-old Mikey Harrison at his Derbyshire home last year.
A Leigh man has denied manslaughter after a man died outside a nightclub in Lancaster.
Two women have been charged with manslaughter and neglect following the death of a two-year-old girl.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after four Vietnamese men were killed in a devastating mill fire.
At the weekend Amanda Holden turned heads as she stepped out at the Coronation Concert in a hot pink suit with a matching bra worn underneath. The Britain's Got Talent judge stood out amongst all the red, white and blue in her her vibrant outfit.
Police have issued an appeal for help to find a missing 12-year-old boy.