Oldham church to become nursery

Manchester-based Grant Erskine Architects has been appointed to renovate Wrigley Mill Methodist Church, Diggle to create a children's nursery and education centre.

New owners, Mike and Dawn Naughton, said: "We are very excited to bring this project to Diggle and with our dedicated nursery manager, Michelle Wilkinson, we look forward to becoming a core element in the local and greater community."

The main contractor on the 5,700 sq ft, two-storey project is Map Build. The project team also includes Ascent Building Control, Gemini UPVC, and commercial agent Breakey Nuttall.

The previous Methodist church owner sold its original 1850s pipe organ to a church in Poland. A team drove a lorry from south Poland to spend three days carefully dismantling the organ, before taking it back for use in a local church.

Many original features were salvaged by local yards and floorboards have gone to a listed renovation project nearby.

Diggle Nursery is due to open early in 2013.