MORE than 1,000 people have signed a petition to save a Southampton church, which has an uncertain future.

Despite being used by a growing number of churchgoers, the Diocese of Winchester has put St Jude’s in Shirley Warren up for sale.

Yet campaigners have not given up their fight to stop the church and hall in Warren Avenue being redeveloped into flats, a plan put to the church committee last summer, as reported by the Daily Echo.

Warren Avenue resident Dave Griffiths, 72, set up an action group to campaign against it.

He said: “Our campaign poster says ‘church yes, flats no’ because we would like to see the church used for religious reasons, cultural reasons, civic reasons and community celebrations.

“There is also the concern that people who have bought properties next to the church would see a devaluation in their homes, and there is an issue of privacy – if the church was turned into flats some of the gardens on Chestnut Avenue would be overlooked.”

Voluntary caretaker Sue Fletch, 67, has been involved with the church for the past 25 years.

She said: “I went on Sunday – the aisles were chocka. You couldn’t get anyone else in. The church hall is a community hall and it’s also a local polling booth. It’s very much a hub of activity.”

As well as being used by local residents for family celebrations, the church is now home to the south coast’s Romanian Orthodox community of more than 100 people.

Father Ovidiu Severean, who leads the Romanian services, said: “Our congregation is growing. People come from Bournemouth, Brighton, even Guildford. We are centralising the south’s Romanian community.”

The priest, who is also a full-time engineer, said the need for a collective place to worship is strong.

“It’s one of those priceless things I believe. I can feel the people are thirsty for it. We also have cultural activities for about 25 children every Sunday after the service. The church is important for the services, for the community, for the Romanian ‘hub’ and Romanian culture.”

As reported by the Daily Echo in July, the Church of England came under fire for rejecting an offer from Filipino Christian group Iglesia Ni Cristo, saying its “doctrines and teachings are in some respects not compatible with the doctrine of the CofE”.

A spokesman from the CofE said: “The Diocese of Winchester is open to the possibility of the site being purchased by another Christian organisation and continuing to serve as a church, so long as that organisation’s doctrines and teachings are compatible with those of the Church of England.

“As a charity, the Diocese of Winchester is obligated to get the best possible value from the sale of any of its assets.

“St Jude’s has not been used by the parish for some time, owing to low attendance. The parish is served effectively by two other churches, St Peter, Lockerley Crescent and All Saints, Sedburgh Road, both of which are well attended. The St Jude’s site is currently being marketed for sale - literature related to this has been shared locally, and the Diocese of Winchester has provided regular updates to the local community.”

The church and hall, which are not listed and sit on a 0.16 hectare site, are on the market for £400,000. There has been no formal planning application.