Westlands, Staffordshire

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

Westlands
Westlands is located in Staffordshire
Westlands
Westlands
Location within Staffordshire
Population5,749 
OS grid referenceSJ843444
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNewcastle
Postcode districtST5
Dialling code01782
PoliceStaffordshire
FireStaffordshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire
52°59′50″N 2°14′05″W / 52.9971°N 2.2347°W / 52.9971; -2.2347

Religion

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St. Andrew's Church in the Westlands

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]

References

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  1. ^ "Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council". Charity Commission. 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ^ Hiles, Hannah; Bunn, George (13 February 2022). "Campaigners stop church being sold at auction". Staffordshire Live. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  3. ^ Hiles, Hannah (2 November 2022). "'Charity' buys disused church for £500K after residents fail to raise cash". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  4. ^ Andrews, Rob (16 November 2022). "'Better than standing empty' - Plans for mosque in leafy Westlands backed". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  5. ^ Sarwar, Yasmin (6 September 2023). "Inside North Staffordshire's newest Islamic centre". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 25 July 2024.