MP's call to community after church disaster

Oct 5 2007 By Neil Elkes, Birmingham Mail

ERDINGTON MP Sîon Simon today called on the community to pull together to rebuild the gutted St Barnabas Church.

He described the building as the jewel in Erdington and urged the church, the city council and the Government to work together with local people to ensure that it is brought back to its former glory.

Arsonists are thought to have started the blaze early yesterday.

Mr Simon said: "We have to do something. It was a beautiful old church. It was a jewel right in the heart of Erdington."

He said that he has held constituency surgeries in the church since becoming MP in 2001, adding: "There are not so many fine old buildings in Erdington that we can afford to lose this one.

"It needs restoring. We have to see what can be done - what investment there is from the church, the city council, the Government and others.

"And we will need to work with those who run the church. There is a real community spirit here and they will pull together.

"There are a range of groups who meet here," he added.

Meanwhile, lay readers spoke of their distress at the damage.

Retired college lecturer Tom Ledger, aged 78, works at the gutted church with Hermine Brown and Ellen Jenkins, both 60.

Mr Ledger said: "Ninety per cent of my life is gone. We all work in the church, we preach, do funeral services and teach in Sunday School.

"One of the tragic aspects of this tragedy is the Victorian stained glass. There was a wonderful mural on the West tower wall and banners which have been there for 70 or 80 years."

Ms Brown, a retired midwife, said: " This will have a disastrous effect on the community. We have a bookstore, we raise funds and conduct a lot of charity work."

Police and fire experts were continuing to investigate today.