PARISHIONERS have been left distraught after a vital tool being used in the revamp of their church garden was stolen.

The volunteers have been working hard over the last year to bring Emmanuel Church Centre’s garden back to life, but it has been brought to a halt following the theft of their lawn mower on Sunday night.

Churchgoers decided to tidy up the overgrown weeds, shrubs and bushes in the neglected garden at the rear of the centre, in Longsight Road, Holcombe Brook, after recognising there was potential in the space.

They have spent the last year digging deep and collecting donations to keep the project running and create a community garden.

Work has been carried out to re-level parts of the land, lay flagstones and generally clean-up the overgrown area.

Churchwarden Alan Goldsmith, who has been organising most of the refurbishment work, said: “We’re very disappointed that someone would steal from a church, that’s the top and bottom of it.

“Everything we do is through donations and with everything else we have to fork out for it’s very disappointing that we may have to spend those donations on another lawn mower.”

Mr Goldsmith, who lives with his wife Wendy, in Newcombe Road, hopes that the expensive Mountfield lawn mower may be returned.

“We’ve had two volunteers who have given up a lot of their time and worked incredibly hard, Steven and Barbara Newhouse," said Mr Goldsmith.

“There are lots of other people too who have been helping out and meeting once a month to carry out necessary works.

“It’s such a shame that someone has stolen our grass cutter but we will continue to work on the garden next month.

“There’s still another good 12 months' work to be carried out.”

People are invited to get involved with work at the garden from 9.30am on September 19. For more information: call 01204 888060.