Conservationists are stepping in to rescue a disused church in a village which is up for sale.

As reported in the Evening Press, the picturesque village of Warter, near Pocklington, will be put on the market by its owner, the Marquis of Normanby, in the spring.

It includes about 11,000 acres of in-hand, sporting woodlands, a park and 63 houses and cottages, many of them occupied by farm staff or retired estate workers.

But as anxious locals await news about prospective new owners, a group has stepped in to take over the parish church of St James, which closed eight years ago.

The Yorkshire Wolds Preservation Building Trust was set up under the chairmanship of Dr David Neave, a local historian and lecturer at the University of Hull.

Dr Neave, who lives in Beverley, said the trust was negotiating with the Church Commissioners and the Diocese of York to take over the building, which is not owned by Warter estate and is not included in the spring sale. Objectors have until February 9, to lodge their opposition at the Diocesan Register office, in Piccadilly, York.

But Dr Neave said locals welcomed the trust's intervention. He said the 19th century church had important stained glass windows and monuments in the churchyard which needed to be preserved.

And he said he hoped it would be used for community purposes and exhibitions and concerts, pointing out it had excellent acoustics.

The plan is to set up a Friends of Warter Church group, consisting of villagers. Fundraising will also start to amass money for future repairs, although Dr Neave said the building was in a good state.

He added: "We are saving the church, both as part of the village and part of the landscape of the Wolds."

The parish vicar, the Rev John Melling, said villagers supported the trust's move. He said: "They want to keep the building there and they are delighted this trust is taking it over."

He said the trust would not be able to take over the whole churchyard because the graveyard was still in use.

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