A church in Clydebank which has stood on the same site for more than 130 years will close next month.

Radnor Park Parish Church will be hosting its last service on Sunday, July 28.

The church has stood on the same site since around the 1890s having had two buildings in its time following a fire which destroyed the original church.

The current church was rebuilt in the 1960s and is now set to be sold after it closes.

Contributing factors such as covid-19, elderly membership and cost-of-living implications are part of the factors discussed by the Clyde Presbytery who were given the task of reducing numbers.

As previously reported by the Post, Radnor Park was one of the churches listed as 'not required for future use' in the mission plan for cutting numbers.

In total, three churches including Duntocher Trinity Parish Church and Old Kilpatrick Bowling Parish Church, were all up for closure with other local churches listed as 'required' for future use.

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The final decision on what further closures are to be made is expected by the end of this year.

Radnor Park Parish Church will remain linked to Kilbowie St Andrews but will eventually merge with Clydebank Waterfront Parish following its closure.

The congregation says they have been "saddened" at the news but would like to invite members of the public to join them for their last service.

Session Clerk, Mabel Ballie, says it has been a "sad" announcement.

She said: "The Clyde Presbytery oversees the churches in this area and had the task of looking at all of them reducing the numbers because of falling members of the congregation and the lack of ministers.

"They did a survey, and the outcome of it is that we are one of the churches to close.

"We are sad to see it happen but we understand why it has happened. After covid, some people didn’t come back and I think it’s the same for all the churches. It's just impossible to keep things going.

"We have been discussing this for five years now and the final decision has been made that our final service will be on July 28.

The final service is to be followed by a light lunch and Mabel would like to invite all able to come along.

She added: "We want to let everyone know and invite everyone- friends, ex-colleagues and ex-members to the last service. It would be nice to see everyone and reminisce. There will be a small light lunch following the service."

The Church of Scotland says they cannot "allow ourselves to be imprisoned by the past" and say they are looking forward with confidence.

A spokesman for the Church of Scotland said: “In 2021, the General Assembly tasked the local church with creating five-year Presbytery Mission Plans to determine how finite resources are best used in the coming decades.

"The Church owns thousands of properties, far more than required to achieve our mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and serving our local communities.

“As part of Clyde Presbytery’s Mission Plan, the Radnor Park Parish Church building in Clydebank is expected to cease to be a place of worship later this year.

“The congregation is expected to unite with the congregation of Clydebank: Waterfront Church in due course and the Radnor Park building will be put up for sale.

“The Church of Scotland has been going through a radical period of reformation and having fewer buildings will reduce pressure on congregational finances, freeing up funds and general income for other church missional activities and a more sustainable situation.

“We cannot allow ourselves to be imprisoned by the past and now is the time to look forward with confidence in the gospel message of Jesus Christ which inspires our work."