A MALVERN church is facing severe financial difficulties unless worshippers donate more money.

The Rev. David Nichol of Holy Trinity Church, Link Top, has already used this month's issue of the parish magazine to appeal for parishioners to give more.

He said the church only managed to pay its bills last year by using up a surplus from previous years. Now that surplus had gone.

"It means, for one thing, we will have to find extra money to pay our bills," he said. "The second thing is that we will have to think extra carefully about any expenditure we want to make."

He said the Church of England was not in a position to help parish churches. "It does have investment income but, like most organisations with investment income, it is not as well off as it was 20 years ago," he said. The only answer is for churchgoers to contribute more money, so that the church can pay its way, he added.

Already, to heat the church for a sunday service costs £1.28 per person attending.

But Mr Nichol said he was "cautiously optimistic" the church and its worshippers would be able to overcome the problem.

Holy Trinity dates from 1851, when it was built to meet the needs of the rapidly growing industrial and residential community of North Malvern. It is said that Elgar practiced the organ there.