Sheffield church buys former pub and nursery in Jordanthorpe with plans to create community centre

The premises in Dyche Road were previously the home of Beechwood Day Nursery before it closed in late 2021, shortly after an ‘Inadequate’ inspection by Ofsted. Before that, it existed as The Jordanthorpe pub, which closed in 2008.

Now, the building has been bought by the Meadowhead Christian Fellowship, an evangelical church, at auction for £250,000, with plans to create a community centre in 2023.

Assistant pastor Nick Lugg told The Star the bid was largely paid using unused donations gathered from before Covid-19 pandemic that were originally meant to keep the church in other premises, as well as from a second appeal in recent months.

Nick said: “We’ve been looking to expand our capacity for some time and we see this purchase as an opportunity to be a force for good in the community.

“Obviously, there’s quite a bit of work that needs to be done inside but it’s the same as buying a house and looking at what renovations and refurbishments need doing. It’s quite a big project on our part.

“There’s been a lot of support in our community. We put to them that we were interested in buying this building and people have donated to make it a reality.”

The church currently operates from three buildings located in the Jordanthorpe shopping precinct, including its main premises in the former Spar supermarket, a joint community cafe and clothes bank, and a lending library.