WORSHIPPERS gathered at a Wear Valley church for the last time yesterday.

But the congregation at Crook Baptist Church also celebrated a new beginning in the life of the church.

The building in Grey Street has been a centre for Christian worship for more than 120 years, but now church leaders have decided to move on rather than spend £25,000 converting the building to provide disabled access.

In future the congregation will meet at the Elite Hall, in Crook town centre.

The church's history dates from 1874, when members of Baptist churches in Wolsingham and Hamsterley began to hold meetings in the homes of people who lived in Crook, which at the time was a significant coal mining town.

A few years later, they formed Crook Baptist Church and built themselves a venue for worship in Grey Street.

Through the years, it has offered a place for people to share their Christian faith and given support to the town in times of need, in particular during the decline of the mining industry.

The first meeting in the church's new home, at 10.30am on Sunday, will also mark a second change. The new minister, the Reverend Graeme Fancourt, will be taking up his post in place of the Reverend David Neil.

At the final service yesterday, Mr Neil led a celebration of thanksgiving to recall the good work of the church in the community.

He said: "I have been a minister for 47 years and am now ready for retiring.

"I came to Crook eight years ago to retire, but ended up at Crook Baptist Church. I have enjoyed my time there, but feel the changes offer a positive future.

"The final service was well attended because it is very fond in people's hearts. Visitors joined the regular congregation, which varies from 12 to 20, to mark the Grey Street church's history and many years of good work in the community."

Mr Fancourt and his wife, Amy, who have a baby daughter, have moved to Crook from their home town of Middlesbrough, where Mr Fancourt spent the past three years as a pastoral assistant at South Bank Baptist Church.