FORMER Clarets defender and born-again Christian Eddie Cliff is half way to leading his congregation into a new era and hopefully a new £185,000 church.

Eddie, owner of Budjet Exhausts, Church Street, Burnley, has been minister for Wood Top Church for four years.

The non-denominational congregation has been without a permanent base since 1987 when its base on Florence Street closed and was eventually demolished after a serious fire.

Parishioners initially used Parkside Methodist Church but for the last seven years services and an after-school club have been held in Stoops and Hargher Clough Community Centre.

Planning permission has been granted to change the use of a warehouse on the Smallshaw Industrial Estate into a church for the congregation, but £185,000 needs to be raised to buy the property.

Eddie said: "We are about half way and a lot of individuals have sacrificed things themselves to raise the money.

"We have about 80 members in the congregation and the after school club is very popular. Christianity is about looking after people and caring - getting people to be responsible and giving them value.

"We really need a building because there are limitations to the kind of things we can do at the community centre.

"The children in the area need input every day, not just just on a Sunday and someone has to look at that. We have teachers, student doctors and people who are willing to put time in voluntarily for a good cause."

He said as soon as the money was raised the congregation would be moving in.

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