A PROJECT to restore a historic Suffolk church is closing in on its fundraising target - although a further �25,000 is still needed for the latest stage of work.

Phase one of repairs to St Mary’s Church in Woodbridge – which included restoring its iconic but crumbling tower – was completed earlier this year.

Phase two of the project - which includes repairing buttresses, guttering and stained glass windows - is now under way.

But the Friends of St Mary’s Church still need to find �25,000 to complete the work.

Thanks to a variety of events the group has already raised an impressive �110,000 to restore the Grade I listed Medieval building.

Chairman Nick Cottam said they were now hoping for one final push to get them over the line.

“The support we have received has been absolutely wonderful,” he said. “Many people don’t realise it costs �10,000 a year just to run the church in terms of heating and general maintenance.

“That’s why we decided to form the Friends group so that we could raise money on top of that, concerned specifically with the up keep of the building.

“It’s a beautiful church at the heart of the community, used by a number of different groups and organisations, so it’s vitally important that we do all we can to ensure that it stays central to life in Woodbirdge.”

To help with the fundraising effort the Friends group is hosting a series of autumn talks by Suffolk raconteur Mark Mitchels.

The first of these was on the life and times of Charles Dickens and more are planned over the coming weeks.

On October 25 Mr Mitchels will present The History of an English Church and on November 29 he will talk about The Cretingham Murder.

Everyone is welcome to attend. For more details, or to help with the fundraising drive, contact Mr Cottam at nick@nickcottam.com.