AN 800-year-old dales church is to be without its own vicar for the first time in its history despite appeals to church leaders to think again.

Faced with severe financial difficulties, the Durham Diocese has decided to reduce the number of stipends in Weardale from three to two.

This means St Thomas's Church, Stanhope - known as "the cathedral of the dale" - and the neighbouring churches at Eastgate, Frosterley and Rookhope will have to share the services of the dale's two remaining clergymen.

Although they are still having meetings with parochial church councils, church leaders have said there will be no replacement for Canon Penny Jones, the last vicar at Stanhope who emigrated to Australia more than a year ago.

The nine churches in Wear-dale will now be cared for by the Reverend Philip Greenhalgh, area dean at St John's Chapel, and the Reverend Malcolm Goodall, rector of Wolsingham.

Confirming the loss of the stipend, the Archdeacon of Auckland, the Venerable Ian Jagger, said: "Changes are taking place in the Church, as they are in all walks of life, and we have gone through a lengthy process of listening to the fears of congregations."

Parishioners were so upset about losing their own vicar that they wrote to the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Michael Turnbull, asking him to intervene.

But they were told that the £28,000-a-year stipend running cost was too much and there was difficulty in recruiting new vicars, particularly to rural areas.