WORK on the roof of Christ Church on Malvern is due to be completed by today (Friday).

But the Malvern Gazette's appeal fund to help pay for the new roof continues, with £6,334 raised so far for the cause.

Churchwarden Angela Green said: "The wind has certainly tested our new roof this week, and we were very grateful that no rain came in.

"I can’t tell you how glad we will be when the plastic covering can finally be thrown out. The novelty of dusting has certainly diminished over the weeks.

"We have been very thankful to be able to remain open for worship and book fairs, and are grateful for support. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Malvern Gazette for its help and in supporting the Tile to Remember Appeal which stands at £6334 so far, including Gift Aid."

"We can’t wait to dispose of the scaffolding and barriers and have our lovely renovated gas lamp and our notice board back outside . Inside, we will start to get things back in place in readiness for all our Christmas services and our concerts, so we can give thanks for our Christmas present, our new roof.

"There were lots of builders to start the final week's work on Monday and I even ventured up there myself."

She said the south side of the roof should have been completed by Wednesday, along with the porch and the lower roof on the North side will also start Wednesday. The internal plastering is also due to have been completed by today.

"There will be a small tower of scaffolding to enable the guttering and painting to be completed, due to finish by next Friday, December 18. Meanwhile the rest of the scaffolding will have been removed and we can start to get the grass and borders back into shape."

Christ Church, in Avenue Road, is one of Malvern's landmarks with its distinctive spire.

The total cost of the work is £223,000, much of which has been covered by grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other sources, but public help is still needed to complete the work.

To donate to the appeal, please fill in the form on this page and send it in to the church with your cheque enclosed.