Future of Largs church buildings to be mapped out in 2024

Both St John's Church and St Columba's Parish Church were selected for closure following appeals, while the Clark Memorial Church has become Largs Community Church and is now the only Church of Scotland building in town used for Sunday services.

Feasibility studies on the future for the St John's and St Columba's buildings will be carried out in the new year.

Church services ended in September in St Columba's and St John's as the congregations moved under one roof at Clark Memorial.

However, both buildings will continue to be used by the church until next June for weddings, funerals, and other functions.

Reverend Dr Graham McWilliams said: "Feasibility studies will be taking place in order for use to working out exactly what the position of the buildings are going forward.

"This was fully proposed and accepted a week past on Sunday at meeting of the kirk session of Largs Community Church. "

The Kirk Session of the newly formed Largs Community Church includes the session clerks of all five churches in the North Coast area, including Fairlie and Cumbrae, as well as St John's (pictured below) and St Columba's.

Dr McWilliams continued: "We will be meeting again to form questions of what we want to ask of the study, as well as support of general trustees of the church, as we look to ask the questions which ensure we get the answers we are looking for.

"We will then instruct an architect to undertake the feasibility study which will give us the information going forward."

The minister added that the early months of Largs Community Church has been positive with all the kirk sessions coming together under the one umbrella and working well.

He added: "In Fairlie Parish Church, it was full on a recent Sunday morning, and in Largs Community Church it was pretty much two thirds full.

"Cumbrae Parish Church has recently welcomed eight new members, so it is good to see people coming together in their communities to worship in new places in which they now belong."

Dr McWilliams and his colleague, the Reverend David Watson, are now the parish ministers for Cumbrae, Fairlie and Largs Community Church, and parish assistant Gus Mackay will also continue to assist.

Cllr Alan Hill told the News last month: "It will be no secret to anyone that I would be keen to see the town retain at least a part of St John's Church as community space.

"I have already reached out to the church, as has Largs Community Council, and we stand ready to work with any local groups to grow and develop a new community centre for Largs.

"The new Largs Community Development Trust, about which there will be more soon, will also be ready as a potential vehicle to take a project such as this forward and to seek funding locally and nationally to develop much needed community space for Largs."

Members of the public have also suggested that St Columba's Church should be retained as a live entertainments and arts venue, with the church already hosting live music events throughout the year.