Church Fire Unites Local Community

Reverend Garry Higgs of St. Giles the Abbot (the church on the hill) in Cheadle reported to COGNEWS that they had experienced a fire.

The fire occurred during the Sunday morning service on the 19th of April 2026. An eyewitness saw one of the halogen lights spontaneously combust, and organist Andrew Hall told us that the fire had started during their second hymn "Come Down, O Love Divine," second verse starting with "Let it freely burn."

The fire was brought swiftly under control thanks to the actions of Church warden Margaret Plant, using their fire extinguisher. Margaret said that the fire brigade did not need to bring hoses into the church, which helped minimize the damage.

During the fire, the whole congregation was evacuated, and the vicar was subsequently informed to keep the church empty for 24 hours. An appeal was launched for help with the deep clean and tidy, and many local residents came along to help, including Councillors Garry Bentley and Lee Bentley (not related).

Many people provided their own equipment for the clean-up, which needs to be completed by Tuesday, 21st April 2026, when a funeral is to take place. Tea and sandwiches were provided to the working party.

The church will be looking to replace the halogen lights with safer LED versions. Reverend Higgs said that better LED lighting needs to be installed in the church.

Church Fire Unites Local Community created 20th April 2026