A SERVICE will be held to mark the new location of a Buckley chapel's war memorial.

Bistre Methodist Chapel in Spon Green closed earlier this year after holding its final service on May 12.

Members of the congregation approached Buckley Town Council to enquire about finding a new location for a war memorial which had been sited in the grounds of the chapel.

The town council agreed to re-site the memorial in Coronation Gardens, Chester Road.

Now that it has been restored and placed in the gardens, a dedication service will be held at the memorial on October 30 at 11am led by the Reverend Rob Balfour.

Mac Ellis, a former member of Bistre Methodist Chapel, said: "Everyone who is on the memorial lived in the locality of Lane End and Spon Green.

"We used to have our own services and lay wreaths around it, on the nearest Sunday to the 11th."

Mr Ellis said he is hoping to let families who have visited the memorial over the years know of its new location. He explained: "Some people come and put their own poppies on on it - they are obviously descendants of the people on the memorial. "Some have [in the past] written the name of the person and where they are buried in France, but we just don't know who they are. "If they are still around, we would like these people to know that the memorial has moved and that they are more than welcome to come here."

Speaking of the forthcoming dedication service, he added: "Anyone is welcome to come on the day - members of the chapel will be here and the mayor of Buckley Cllr Arnold Woolley will be here.

"The most important thing is that we would like to make sure people know what has happened to the memorial.

"We'd like to give a special mention to Blackwell Stonecraft Limited, for the sympathetic way they removed, restores and replaced it."