A CHURCH will close its doors later in the year because it is no longer economically viable.

St Edith's in Wilton, has been a place of Catholic worship since 1969 but smaller congregations and the termination of a 20-year-old sharing arrangement with the Methodists and United Reformed congregations have resulted in the decision to close it.

Father Richard Northey, of St Gregory's Roman Catholic church, Salisbury, who uses the church for weekly services, said: "This sharing arrangement came to an end after 20 years and now we are the only ones using it to worship.

"An average congregation is only about 20 people and sadly it doesn't make good economic sense for us to carry on with these numbers once a week.

"I'm sure there will be some people who have been attending for a long time who will feel sad about it but we all recognise something has to be done.

"We are looking for new accommodation in the area that is more suited to our needs but no firm time frames have been set.

"We are very much in the middle of the process and still need to discuss the arrangements with the diocese."

The church, which can accommodate a congregation of 70 and has two rooms, is also used by a local playgroup and various social clubs who now will need to find new premises.

At the last meeting of Wilton town council, members agreed they would approach the church and offer to buy the chairs for use in public meetings and community events when it finally closes.