WORK is well underway to demolish a church to make way for a new-look church and community centre.

The Harwood Methodist Church building on Longsight Lane will be replaced by a new place for Methodist worship, along with a coffee bar, rooms and spaces for people from the community and a large sports hall.

Demolition is set to be completed within the next week while the new centre is predicted to be finished around December next year.

Rev Ian Smart said: “We have faced many challenges since we were given a Vision by God of being a church that will be outward-facing, seeing God at work in our community, and working with our ecumenical partners to do the things that God is calling us to be. This new building is a further step in making this a reality.”

Other facilities set to feature in the new building include easy wheelchair and disability access, parking spaces for up to 45 vehicles and a worship area with full audio visual equipment.

The project first came about in 2007, when the decision was made to link Longsight and Tottington Road Church. The Harwood church itself was in a poor state of disrepair and required expensive maintenance. The church hopes to help tackle social issues in the area, such as anti-social behaviour, with the new building.