A LANDMARK Malvern church is launching a drive to sponsor a tile to help pay for much-needed roof repairs.

Members of the congregation at Christ Church in Avenue Road are urging supporters to come along on Saturday, September 12, and sign up for its Tiles To Remember campaign.

In July, church members were delighted to find that they had been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant of £158,000 towards the work, but they still need to find a further £223,000 to complete the job.

Angie Green of the church said: "Would you like to help by making a donation for a roof tile? You might like to do so in honour of a special occasion, such as a wedding, a baptism or the funeral of a loved one.

"If you would like to have an inscription on a tile, that can be arranged also and it will then become part of our beautiful church building and preserved for many generations to come. We can also put a dedication in our memorial book . It is a lovely opportunity to remember someone in this way and each time you walk past the church you will know the tile is there."

The launch of the appeal will be from 9.30apm to 4pm, when cards will be available for people to fill in with their preferred inscriptions and make their donations.

There will also be refreshments for sale and a chance to browse the church's bookshop, and the church will also be visited during the day by members of other congregations taking part in the Worcestershire and Dudley Historic Trust Churches Ride and Stride event.

Mrs Green said: "We have commenced work on the repair of the roof, which we hope to have completed in time for Christmas. We

are so pleased to have been awarded the lottery grant but we still need to raise a significant amount toward our end target."

The roof dates back to 1875 when the church was first built, and in recent years many of the nails have corroded away, causing tiles to fall from the roof, threatening its waterproof integrity.