Church moves service due to Storm Goretti damage

A church has had to move services away from its main hall due to damage caused by Storm Goretti.

During the storm, damage was caused the roof of St Pauls Methodist Church in Guernsey, after the island was battered with wind speeds of up to 95mph (154km/h) on 8 January.

The damage meant the church had to move services away from the main hall on Sunday to one of the smaller rooms in the building.

The church, which celebrated its 200th anniversary last year, has had work done to repair external damage to the roof but there is still work to complete inside.

Reverend Howard Stringer, methodist superintendent for the bailiwick, said: "I've been here [at the church] for nearly 10 years and it's certainly the worst damage we've had since then."

He said the 100-year-old building was "fairly well-built" but the recent storms were "exceptional".

Stringer thanked churchgoers who he said helped mop up water the morning after the storm.

He said the roof still needed to be checked by contractors to determine whether it was safe.

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