THE vicar of an historic 11th century church has made an impassioned plea for help with funding the replacement of its roof.

A large portion of the south side of St Andrew’s Church, in Forest Road, Greenstead, needs urgent attention amid fears it could become permanently damaged.

Now vicar Sue Howlett and ordinand Sam Lees have launched a fundraiser seeking to gather vital funds to save the Grade II listed building.

The works require the tiles on the roof to be removed and then reinstated with like-for-like replacements.

However, the damage beneath the tiles is unknown until they are removed, meaning it is impossible to estimate how much the lifeline project will cost.

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“There could be damaged woodwork or rotten timber which needs fixing,” said Mr Lees. “Suddenly, a job which was going to cost £40,000 could then cost six figures.”

Mrs Howlett added: “We’ve got to the time where we can’t cut any corners, the tiles need replacing. Covid stopped us progressing with our work but now we need to kick-on.

“We have just found a leak which has been developing.

“The need for work is urgent enough for us to need to start by spring next year, but we must submit plans to the architects.

“We can put some money towards it ourselves but that would severely reduce what we can do in the future.

“Our finances aren’t overly healthy - it would use up a lot of our reserves.

“We get small pots of money here and there but we want to use them to concentrate on the work we do in the community.

“If we use these for the roof, it will take away from money which helps people.”

St Andrew’s itself is located at the heart of the Greenstead estate and dates back more than one thousand years to the 11th century.

It was used by Parliamentary troops during the Siege of Colchester in the summer of 1648 and there is evidence of recycled Roman material in part of the walls.

“The church is used a great deal in the community, it is valued and loved and has been a beacon on this estate for years,” said Mrs Howlett.

“It has a special place in the hearts of people here and we want to preserve and protect it so it can be enjoyed for many more years to come.”

You can support the church via bit.ly/3ld7uR9.