Villagers lose thousands of pounds in savings after a musical organised by their church and set for an arena tour featuring Russell Watson goes bust with debts of £2.6m
- Around 30 people in Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, have lost money
- Church leaders told the congregation they were ‘giving to God’ by donating
- International Church is in liquidation and families are unlikely to get money back
Villagers have lost thousands of pounds in savings after a musical organised by their church which was set for an arena tour featuring Russell Watson went bust with debts of £2.6million.
Around 30 people living in Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, are owed a total of £500,000 between them.
Now they are facing financial ruin, with some even remortgaging their homes to help fund the International Church’s production, reports the BBC.
Congregation members were told they were ‘giving to God’ by helping with Heaven on Earth, which is based on the story of Adam and Eve.
Villagers in Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, have lost thousands of pounds in savings after giving money towards a musical organised by their church. Pictured: Russell Watson and Hugh Maynard at Wembley Arena during a press launch
The show, which was meant to have a six-month nationwide tour, starred Kerry Ellis and Hugh Maynard, as well as Mr Watson as the voice of God.
Just three weeks before the tour was meant to kick off, the show went bust. It is believed to be one of the largest ever debts from a collapsed theatre production.
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Yessika Oakley, 34, told the BBC her family had donated thousands of pounds to the church for the production.
She said: ‘Because they did it in the name of God, they were put under the pressure that if you didn’t give, you’re not being faithful and God isn’t going to be very happy with you.
‘What’s wrong with all of it is that it was somebody’s dream. And it’s OK to have a dream, but don’t use other people’s money for it. They should have never used people’s money.’
Congregation members were told they were ‘giving to God’ by helping with Heaven on Earth, which is based on the story of Adam and Eve. Pictured: Aled Jones and Russell Watson on Lorraine last month
People working on the production, as well as the arenas booked, are also owed money.
Although villagers were told God would provide the rest of the money needed, it ran out of money in late 2017, and Eden International Productions went into administration.
The church itself has also gone into liquidation thanks to the failure of the glitzy show.
The liquidation of the two organisations means the villagers affected are unlikely to get their money back.
One of the directors from Eden International Productions told the BBC they were sorry for those who had lost money, but added it was given on a ‘free will’ basis.
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