Thank you for publishing a feature highlighting the plight of St Peter’s church at Dixton. I am not a member of any church but, like many readers, I was brought up in this country and value its Christian ethos.

Most of the church services I have attended have been for christenings, marriages and deaths, and each time I have taken it for granted that there will be a church in which to hold the service.

The last service I attended was held in St Peter’s, a building that has a gentle and timeless ambience all of its own. Perhaps it is the ancient stones of the building that make it such a peaceful place beside our river, a place where many sit on the memorial benches for a few minutes as they pass by. Whenever I go there, the main building has been open and I have been able to sit inside escaping time for a few quiet minutes.

There is currently scaffolding in place to allow the chancel roof to be repaired but the condition of the stone roof over the main building is far from weatherproof and there is no money to repair it. The day that the first piece of waterlogged plaster falls from the ceiling will be the day that the church closes. When that happens, I fear that it will never reopen.

Whatever your beliefs. if you would like the church and its shaded graveyard to be there for your children to rest in, to be Christened or married, or just to attend a service, please contribute to the building’s maintenance fund. Cheques made out to the “Dixton Church Maintenance Trust” may be left in the offices of the Monmouthshire Beacon on Monnow Street.

Andrew Smith (Old Dixton Road)