AN ANCIENT church in Great Bedwyn that has been plagued by a leaking roof for years has launched a £20,000 appeal to repair it.

St Mary's Church, which dates back 1,100 years, has long been the village's hub for community events, but in recent years they have been under threat.

Work to repair the roof, which includes replacing guttering, downpipes, missing tiles and ridge tiles, is scheduled to take place from April onwards.

To try and raise the funds, a gala evening is taking place at the church, in Church Street, where guests can enjoy live music from jazz and swing band the Gershwin Gang, a three-course candlelit supper, an auction and a raffle on March 25 from 7pm.

"In order to preserve this wonderful and historic church, we urgently need to have its roof repaired," said the church warden Sue Challen.

"Over the years it has got worse and worse and now it has reached a point where it has to be seen to as soon as possible.

"Last August a tremendous amount of water came through the roof, so much so that I gave up trying to mop it up, there was so much of it.

"The Friends of St Mary's Church have done a fantastic job in raising £40,000 over the years but we still need an extra £20,000 for the work to go ahead in the spring.

"We would like to try and raise it from this gala evening and from donations as we would rather not have to seek a loan to pay this. We are also hopeful about receiving some grants but we have been unsuccessful before.

"It is a cherished asset in Great Bedwyn and it is a venue that gets used more than anything else in the village.

"I want to assure those who attend though that if it does leak, the guests will not get rained on as the areas where we have had problems are in a different place to where the people will be."

Some of the events that go on at the church include art exhibitions, concerts, history society talks, weddings, funerals and baptisms.

To go to the event at the church, which has a Sir John Seymour memorial, father of King Henry VIII's wife Jane Seymour, tickets cost £30 per person or £225 for a table of eight. To book email mchughjoanne@hotmail.com or call (01672) 870779.