Following a meeting during the week with the vicar general we are now able to give you more information concerning the parishes of Our Lady’s Eastwood, Our Lady and Saint Thomas’ Ilkeston with St John’s Stapleford. Our Lady’s Eastwood and our Lady and Saint Thomas’ Ilkeston will merge to form a single parish with one priest. St. Johns’ Stapleford will close for public worship, enabling that priest to care pastorally for the two remaining church communities without having any other significant diocesan responsibilities. Together we have to create a ‘time line’ to achieve this.

During Lent and throughout the Easter period our PPC’s together with our worshipping communities will be working to look at what might be needed for the merging to practically take place and at what stage in the future this could happen. We will, of course, keep you up to date with all discussions and suggestions.