A community has come together around a historic church at the heart of the community after the first wedding ‘in living memory’ in the place of worship. 

Marc Minall and his new wife Roz Minall celebrated their marriage at Woodmancote Church, near Bishops Cleeve outside Cheltenham on 17 October. 

Minall was told that it would be the first wedding in a long time at the Grade II-listed building which has stood since 1854. 

The married couple wanted to mark the occasion in a small and intimate ceremony at the local hub for community events and coffee morning as well as worship.  

"Roz is really into crafts and one day they had a craft afternoon in the church", Mr Minall told the BBC.  "We decided to pop in and the welcome that we got was unbelievable, the people in there were so friendly”. 

The couple had to be creative when it came to their ceremony due to the church bell being out of use due to disrepair.  The married couple bought a nightclub speaker to play the sound of the silent church bell as they left as man and wife. 

Minall has set up a fundraiser to repair the chapel bellcote and bell and has raised more than £1,300 towards costs which are estimated at around £30,000. 

A suspension wire failed in January 2024 and since then, the bell has been silent. The cross above the bell has also been found to be unsafe, and funds will go towards restoration. 

He revealed that he is looking forward to a mini-festival and sponsored car wash to raise money. 

He added: "It's absolutely brought us all closer. We've had people coming into the church who have never been in before - the community is fully behind this”.