AN urgent appeal has been launched to raise £1m to help preserve an historic Bromsgrove church.

St John's Church in the centre of town is desperately in need of vital repairs, including a complete rebuild of the church's spire to make it safe for the future.

Friends of St John's Bromsgrove, formed to raise money to finance the ongoing maintenance and restoration needs of the landmark church, are now appealing for help.

A spokesman said: "Our Grade I listed building has been standing at the heart of Bromsgrove for hundreds of years, so it needs ongoing maintenance and restoration to preserve the heritage.

"Our Heritage Future Appeal aims to raise funds required to carry out urgent repairs to crumbling stonework and the clerestory high level windows, plus the urgent need to "Save our Spire" - the top section requires a complete rebuild to make it safe for the future."

They added: "With our internal vision to create a flexible space with adequate heating, lighting, kitchen and toilets we are looking at an ambitious target of £1,000,000. With such funding we can create a building where the heritage is preserved and the future is secured."

The appeal was officially launched last month, with Bromsgrove MP and Home Secretary Sajid Javid agreeing to be patron.

He said: “For hundreds of years St John’s Church has been an important part of our local heritage; sitting at the centre of our Bromsgrove community, and it now needs our help.

"As with all heritage buildings, St John’s needs financial investment. I was therefore delighted to be asked to be the appeal patron, and I, along with local businesses and groups will do all we can to support it.”

For more on the appeal, go to facebook.com/FriendsStJohnsBromsgrove.