Please keep collecting the ‘Cash for Charities’ tokens from the EDP & Evening News and pass them to any member of the Parochial Church Council; details at the end.

The following article by Sophie Wyllie is in today’s EDP, reproduced with permission from Archant Newspapers.

Crumbling church tower appeal hoping to benefit from Cash For Charities campaign.

Urgent repairs are needed at a medieval church tower which is at risk of collapsing if the major work is not done, according to concerned volunteers.

The Grade II listed round tower at St Mary’s Church in Surlingham, south of Norwich, dates back to the early 13th century and features six bells.

But two of the bells, cast in 1381, cannot be rung because of structural issues within the tower including the corrosion of the cast iron frame inside the belfry caused by the expansion of internal ironwork and loose areas of external flintwork.

St Mary’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) needs to raise between £90,000-£130,000 for the repairs and the Surlingham Church & Poor Charity, which was formed centuries ago, is helping the appeal.

And you can help the charity by supporting it through this paper’s Cash For Charities campaign in which readers can collect coupons for over 120 Norfolk and Suffolk groups up until July 3.

The tokens, which are in the Eastern Daily Press, Norwich Evening News and sister weekly titles, have to be collated by individual charities and £20,000 will be shared between organisations depending on how many coupons are collected.

Derry Kelleher, chairman of the PCC, said: “The significance of St Mary’s Church has many dimensions. It has played a crucial role in the lives of Surlingham families. This work therefore requires urgent attention in order to ensure that the risk of any further deterioration or collapse is avoided.” He hoped that building work could start next year and the PCC will apply for various grants.

Read the full EDP article here.