A proposal to 'breath new life' into Tenby's St. Julians Church by turning it into a centre of excellence for youth worship has been given the thumbs up.

At a meeting of the Parochial Church Council last week, it was agreed in principal to support plans to re-order St. Julians, situated on the harbour, as a youth church, while retaining the Sunday services.

"The aim of the proposal is to breathe new life into St. Julians by turning it into a centre of excellence for youth worship," said David Hammond-Williams, spokesperson for the Church in Wales.

"This is not going to be a youth club, but a worship centre.

"The ministry team is also keen to make the new facility available for ecumenical use. It will also be a valuable resource for Sunday Schools and youth groups, not just in Tenby, but throughout the St. Davids Diocese.

"The church will continue to be open to the public for the benefit of the community and visitors alike, just as it is now," continued Mr. Hammond-Williams, who explained that the idea had come from the benefice as a whole and that everyone involved was well aware of the importance of St. Julians to the community.

Team Vicar, Rev. Rob Wainwright, will effectively be the manager for the project.

The scheme will involve the removal of the existing furniture replacing it with new chairs, plus the provision of toilet facilities and a coffee bar, as well as some projection equipment.

"Apart from that, the fabric of the building will remain untouched, so the plaques on the walls, for example, will stay," explained Mr. Hammond-Williams.

"However, there is as yet no design, only some ideas which, now that the church council has backed the plan, will go out to community consultation."

It is hoped (although not confirmed) that local architects will be commissioned to come up with detailed proposals once the plan has been finalised.

Alternatively, the ministry team is considering a competition to find suitable architects and designers.

"At present, the church is mainly used for weddings, baptisms and funerals, while there is also a weekly service of evening prayer, however, the harbour community it was built to serve is no longer there," continued Mr. Hammond-Williams.

"Most of the buildings are either holiday lets or have been converted to non-residential use. At the last count, the average Sunday attendance at St. Julians was five people," he added.

The proposal has the full backing of the Bishop of St. Davids and of the Diocesan Children and youth team which has trialled a number of well-attended youth-oriented services in St. Julians over the summer.

If all goes according to plan, the re-ordering will be complete by Christmas 2013.