A CHURCH today makes a direct plea to its community: Help us find the last £10,000 we need for essential repairs.
St Mary The Virgin in Elland has been the picturesque setting for many weddings and christenings over the years.
But the Grade One listed church is needing to make vital repairs to tackle a leaky roof.
Churchgoers were told it will cost £79,000 to carry that out and they have worked hard over the last two years to raise most of it.
Now they are making the last push for the remaining £10,000 needed for the works which are due to start next month.
Churchwarden Peter Uttley said: “The church has its origins back in the 12th century.
“It still continues to be a venue for weddings and christenings because it really is a beautiful place and is still used for services.
“But it started to let in water when it rains or is a bit windy.
“The work really is essential and we’ve spent a lot of time getting funding.
“We’ve £10,000 still to get and are hopeful the community will help us.”
The church has its origins in the late 12th century and still has its original chancel arch.
Grants towards the £79,000 total cost of the work have been received with £26,000 from English Heritage, £10,000 from Yorkshire Historical Churches Trust and £5,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation.
The church has also recently been successful in being granted £20,000 by the National Churches Trust towards essential repairs and replacements to large sections of the roof, re-pointing of parts of the east wall and replacement of gutters and drain pipes.
Water leaking in through the roof has badly affected sections of wall plaster by the organ and particularly around two of the 17th century wall monuments on the north wall.
Fundraising events held by the congregation and generous donations have added to the fund, but they still find themselves around £10,000 short of covering the whole cost of the work.
So members of the St Mary’s Development Team are appealing for residents and businesses to provide any support they can through a donation.
The church, which holds services every Sunday and Wednesday and a Sunday school, also offers a community room for local groups to hire.
The church is open every Friday morning from 11am until 1pm for visitors to look around the building and spend some quiet time.
Donations, to help St Mary’s reach their target, can be sent to Peter Uttley at 80 Victoria Road, Elland, HX5 0QF, with cheques payable to St Mary’s Elland.
