AN 800-year-old church is facing a £30,000 bill for vital interior repair works.

The aging walls in Holy Cross, Church Road, Basildon, have been blighted by damp in the recent years and are in need of repairs.

Reverend Jane Richards, the vicar of St. Andrew and Holy Cross, is leading a fundraising campaign to pay for the vital works.

“We receive no central funding for its upkeep and it needs major refurbishment both inside and out,” the reverend explained.

“We’re hoping that the exterior work will start this year but we still need to raise a further £30,000 to complete the interior work.”

“I know Holy Cross is a very special place to many people so if you feel able to make any sort of donation to our restoration appeal that would be wonderful.

Reverend Richards added: “I hope that those of you who love Holy Cross as much as we all do may feel able to contribute to our appeal and make sure this beautiful building remains standing for another 800 years.”

Work is set to begin to refurbish the exterior stonework and guttering, to the tune of about £36,000.

This is essential to make sure the building can deal wind, rain and other weather and keep the inside dry.

Parish leaders have been building up funds over the last few years towards this work, and with some support from the listed places of worship scheme, it is set to get underway in the coming months.

Once the exterior of the building is fixed, the focus will be turned to the interior.

Damp issues are causing large areas of the lime wash on the interior wall to falke away.

At the same time parish leaders want to paint and distemper the panels in the ceiling of the nave which are also suffering due to their age.

As part of the same project, the church will also look at improving the ventilation of the building and restoring the older paintings hanging on the north wall.

An estimated cost of £30,000 has been set for the work, which will need to be fundraised through community events.