A CHURCH which was at the heart of a community for a number of decades has been demolished ­— not before saving its crucifix.

St Columba's church on Ripley Street, Hall i' th' Wood, closed in 2017 after a review of parish structures by the Diocese of Salford.

The church is being demolished to make way to 24 "independent living" apartments, designed for the over-55s.

However, concerns were raised by local residents on social media about the artefacts inside the church and the crucifix on top of the tower.

Concerns were initially voiced by Trevor Jones ­— who is the leader of a new party Bolton for Change ­— on Facebook.

He said that, as someone who lives in the area, the church has always been part of the community and he was especially concerned when he saw it being demolished.

Mr Jones encouraged people to contact the demolition company to tell them their concerns about the safety of the crucifix and other historic artefacts. 

Mosscare St Vincent's Housing Group, who own the site, guaranteed that all steps were taken to ensure the demolition was done properly.

They said: "We are working in partnership with Bolton Council, the Salford Diocese and Homes England, to bring a disused and derelict church site back into use for the benefit of the people.

"There is a huge lack of this type of housing (for over-55s) and we are keen to get the build underway.

"The deconsecrated church has been empty and in disrepair for almost 3 years now, and has been subject vandalism and, as a result, we are mindful of the need to get the site back into use for the benefit of the neighbours and area as a whole.

We have promised the cross on the church’s spire to a local community organisation, who have over the years had strong links to the former church."

Any damage to artefacts already in the church has been put down to vandalism.

The garden used by the church has been saved for the school.