Madam,

Those like me who care about the heritage of Aberystwyth and its historic buildings should not despair at the reported refusal by the Vatican (Vatican delivers final blow to parishioners’ hopes) to support those working to save St Winefride’s, Aberystwyth’s beautiful Victorian Catholic church in Queens Road.

Despite the impression the Swansea-based Catholic bishop would like to give, this is certainly not the end of the campaign which has been running for many years.

This Victorian gem built in 1874 has been closed on the orders of the Swansea bishop for four years, apparently on safety grounds, but there has been a consistent refusal to discuss the matter properly with parishioners or to agree to an independent survey of the building.

The bishop’s latest plan is to rehouse Aberystwyth Catholics by rebuilding the derelict 1970s church of Welsh Martyrs in Penparcau.

This would saddle the parish with a debt of over £300,000 for a church of poor design and construction. A church also situated in entirely the wrong location to serve the town’s Catholic population and in the wrong location for the people of Penparcau, who seem fed up with the general over-development of the locality and the challenges this creates for residents.

Important conservation bodies including The Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, The Victorian Society, Save Great Britain’s Heritage and the Aberystwyth Civic Society also say that St Winefride’s should be preserved. The town council is of the same opinion and the planning authority, Ceredigion County Council, is not in favour of demolition.

Support from Christians of other denominations and from other faith communities in Aberystwyth as well as those of no faith, has been consistently in favour of refurbishing St Winefride’s.

The Vatican’s latest pronouncement dealing as it does with only a few of the issues concerned will not halt this strongly supported campaign for common sense.

Yours etc,

David C Subacchi, The Ithens, Wrexham.