Westlands, Staffordshire Explained

Country:England
Coordinates:52.9971°N -2.2347°W
Official Name:Westlands
Shire District:Newcastle-under-Lyme
Shire County:Staffordshire
Region:West Midlands
Constituency Westminster:Newcastle-under-Lyme
Post Town:Newcastle
Postcode District:ST5
Postcode Area:ST
Dial Code:01782
Os Grid Reference:SJ843444
Population:5,749

Westlands, more commonly known as "The Westlands", is a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.

Religion

There are two places of worship; St Andrew's Church (Anglican) and Masjid At-Taqwa Islamic Centre (Islamic).

The building that is now the Islamic Centre was previously St Peter's Church, a Methodist church. St Andrew's and St Peter's together formed a local ecumenical partnership called The Church in the Westlands. However, St Peter's Church closed in 2021.[1] Community groups were formed in an attempt to prevent the unoccupied building from being sold to property developers.[2] In November 2022 it was eventually sold to a charity with a plan to convert the building into a Mosque and Islamic Centre.[3] [4] Masjid At-Taqwa Islamic Centre, the first Mosque in the area, opened to the public in September 2023.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2022 . Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council . 25 July 2024 . Charity Commission.
  2. Web site: Hiles . Hannah . Bunn . George . 2022-02-13 . Campaigners stop church being sold at auction . 2024-07-25 . Staffordshire Live . en.
  3. Web site: Hiles . Hannah . 2022-11-02 . 'Charity' buys disused church for £500K after residents fail to raise cash . 2024-07-25 . Stoke on Trent Live . en.
  4. Web site: Andrews . Rob . 2022-11-16 . 'Better than standing empty' - Plans for mosque in leafy Westlands backed . 2024-07-25 . Stoke on Trent Live . en.
  5. Web site: Sarwar . Yasmin . 2023-09-06 . Inside North Staffordshire's newest Islamic centre . 2024-07-25 . Stoke on Trent Live . en.