THE Malvern Gazette is this week joining forces with Christ Church, Malvern, to raise some £30,000 to repair the building's ageing roof.

Work has already started to replace the tiles on the church in Avenue Road, which is now surrounded by scaffolding.

And you can help out by sponsoring a tile in the name of a loved one to help the church reach its target by Christmas.

Angela Green of the church said: "You can help by making a donation for a roof tile. If you would like to remember a special occasion, such as a wedding, baptism or the funeral of a loved one, you might like to put an inscription on a tile which will then become part of our beautiful church building for generations to come."

Christ Church recently received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £158,000, making a substantial contribution towards the total cost of £223,000.

Mrs Green said: "We've also received another £6,000 in grants, which leaves us £59,000. We're hoping to get some of the VAT we're paying back, because we're a listed place of worship, but that will still leave us with about £30,000 that we have to raise.

"That's a lot of money, so we can do with all the help we can get, which is why we're delighted that the Malvern Gazette is supporting us.

"Christ Church is rooted in the community and so is the Malvern Gazette, and the Gazette has consistently supported us through some difficult times."

John Wilson, Gazette deputy editor, said: "Christ Church is a prominent landmark in Malvern's townscape, and plays a prominent role in the local community, so we're delighted that we can help with this most important appeal."

Mrs Green said: “This goes back two years, when we had just appointed a new church architect, Nick Joyce, and the first thing he

said to us was that the roof needed replacing.

“It’s the original roof from 1875, and the nails have essentially vanished, corroded away, so we have been having slates falling from the roof. The work is absolutely necessary if we are too maintain the church as a weatherproof building."

Last year, the church installed a new boiler, and in 2006/7, spent £96,000 on extensive repairs to its distinctive spire,