A REMEMBRANCE service which is usually held in the chapel in Radnor Street Cemetery is being held outside this year.

The service, which is led by Deacon Dennis Sutton from Holy Rood Church, will be conducted in the graveyard in Old Town, which is the final resting place for 104 war heroes from Swindon and is an official Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery.

The annual service had been scrapped earlier this year after the organisers were told they had to take out public liability insurance, but they were later told they could still hold the ceremony outside.

Mark Sutton, who is a member of the friends of Radnor Street, said: “Normally we have the chapel but this year we have been told by council officers that the chapel is dangerous.”

The service will take place at 2pm on Sunday around the cross of sacrifice.

A Swindon Council spokesman said: “The chapel is structurally okay, but following a fire risk assessment it’s clear that it’s not safe to use for gatherings of people. We are looking at what we might need to do to the building to allow it to be used in future, because everyone agrees that would be desirable if it can be done, although, inevitably, it will cost money and that will have to be found. We had a meeting with representatives of the Friends of Radnor Street in June to explain the situation, and confirmed the position in a letter in September.”

The group has run the service, which attracts crowds of 150 people, since 2006.