A villager from East Carlton is appealing to fellow residents to fight plans to close a church.

It was revealed last August that villagers were being consulted about the possible closure of St Bartholomew's Church in East Carlton.

In a leaflet distributed in East Carlton, the Reverend Graham Atherton, vicar of Guiseley, said no decision had been taken but there was a possibility that the church could be moved to another part of the village.

Five months later a decision on the future of the church has yet to be made and now moves are afoot to set up opposition to the plans.

A concerned villager says the closure would be disastrous for the village and is appealing to people to back a campaign to keep the church open.

The villager, who doesn't want to be named, said: "It is the focal point of the village community. Not having a shop or a pub, our church is very important to us as a small village."

The villager is appealing to people to write to the Vicar of Guiseley or the Bishop of Bradford to let them know about the opposition to the closure.

Mr Atherton said nothing had changed and no decision had been made about the future of the church.

He added a number of people had written to him last year about the proposals and they had been largely supportive.

Villagers want the church to stay open because Squire James Carlton Eckersley, of Carlton Manor, had given it to them in 1927, to be used as a church, verger's cottage and schoolroom.

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