An east Suffolk church, which dates back to the 14th century, is facing a £30,000 bill to fix its crumbling walls.

The east wall of All Saints Church in Wickham Market is currently surrounded by scaffolding after residents noticed cracks growing in the brickwork.

The church has been aware of the problems for a number of years but now the decision has been made to carry out work to try and prevent further damage.

"This is a very old part of the church," said Alison Elliott, one of the church's wardens.

"It dates back to the 1400s but the Victorians replaced a small window with a very heavy stained glass window.

"The weight of that is causing the walls to crumble but they think they can shore it up without taking the window out."

Mrs Elliott said that the work required to strengthen the building has been estimated to cost around £60,000.

The fee includes work needed to protect the church organ while the wall restoration is carried out.

Around £23,000 has already been raised to carry out the repairs, including £10,000 of grant money.

This leaves the church looking for over £30,000 to help complete the work.

"We are going to have to have some help with it," said Mrs Elliott.

Work has already begun at the site but the removal of plaster from the church walls means that more work may be needed to make the site safe.

"The cracks have been coming for a number of years but it has gone beyond the point where it could be ignored any longer. It had to be done.

Mrs Elliott said it was important for the work to be carried as to ensure the future of a key village asset.

"All Saints is such a central building to the village," said Mrs Elliott.

"While a lot of people don't go to church it's still there for them for events like funerals and weddings."

Anyone who believes they may be able to help with the project should call Mrs Elliott on 01728 748224 or via email.