A CHURCH closed for more than two years after it was declared structurally safe has been reborn.

St Nicholas's Church, Sabden, a 160-year-old grade two listed building, was closed in December 2001 after an inspection.

Following £131,000 of repairs, a blessing and re-dedication service has taken place, attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of the Ribble Valley, Coun Alan and Susan Yearing.

Inspectors working for the Diocese of Blackburn found structural faults at the church during one of the surveys carried out every five years.

The roof had begun pushing out, putting extra pressure on one of the walls and making the building unsafe, according to reports presented to the diocese.

Services immediately switched to the church hall, where the congregation have been going every Sunday as they raised the £131,000 needed to repair the church.

The sudden closure of the church had ramifications throughout the village. Almost immediately, Sabden Primary School's annual nativity and carol service had to switch venues, to the nearby St Mary's Church.

The annual Christmas Eve services moved to the neighbouring parish of All Saints, Pendleton, after the congregation were invited to go there.