Blewbury villagers have been reassured they are not about to lose their parish church.

After a majority of people who took part in a survey said they were worried that the church might close, its rector, the Rev Edwin Clements, replied in his parish newsletter: "I can categorically state that this is extremely unlikely. Nor are we likely to lose the rectory."

The misunderstanding appears to have been triggered by the survey, which was conducted to find out how churchgoers and non-churchgoers felt about the church. The parochial church council has been considering changes to the interior of the mainly 13th and 14th century church, including replacing the pews with chairs and moving the altar closer to the congregation.

St Michael's has always been at the heart of community life, staging village festivalsm and operas. Fr Clements said: "With a regular congregation of no more than 40 or 45, we wanted to make the atmosphere in the building more intimate and friendly for worshippers.

"The church council took the opportunity to find out how the community thinks about making changes, including the style of worship."

Two focus groups were set up -- one of regular churchgoers and another of those who went occasionally.

A survey of 200 villagers, which cost £1,000, brought 150 replies.

Although the responses are still being analysed, Fr Clements said the survey had not highlighted the need for any major changes.

But he warned that the church's long term future depended on people continuing to use it.