PARISHIONERS face a race against the clock to raise £200,000 for vital repairs to their two medieval churches, one of which is danger of collapse.

They were offered £100,000 by English Heritage to help fund the repairs to the two churches -- St Wilfrid's in Ribchester and St Saviour's in nearby Stydd -- earlier this year.

But to access the cash they need to raise another £200,000 themselves by the end of the year to pay for the repairs as part of English Heritage's match-funding arrangement.

Now an ambitious appeal has been launched, with the priest of the two parishes, Fr John Francis, warning people: "It is up to us to save the churches."

Both Grade I listed, the churches date from medieval times. The least-troubled of the two churches is St Wilfrid's, which is suffering from water seeping through the roof.

Repairs also need to be carried out to secure the tower and keep the Victorian stained-glass window in the tower secure. A St Saviour's, urgent work is needed to repair a wall which is on the verge of collapsing, bringing the rest of the church down with it. Fr Francis said: "The foundations are soft on the one wall, and the pressure of the roof is too much for the wall now. We need to act quickly to make the wall safe. St Saviour's is pretty much in the same state it was when it was built, it has not been adapted and doesn't have heating or lighting, which is very unusual.

"We were very pleased to get the money from English Heritage and now hope to raise the rest before December. It is a short time scale, and there is no underestimating the urgency of this appeal."

Although the parish only has a small congregation, Fr Francis said it has a large visitor base, thanks in part to its idyllic location and the fact St Wilfrid's hosts the annual Ribchester Music Festival, now in its 12th year.

It attracts people from across the globe, and Fr Francis said: "We hope to raise a lot during this year's festival, in June, and plan to launch a website because we do have a lot of visitors from across the globe.

"We don't actually have to have all the money by December, because they will accept serious pledges too, so we are planning to approach local businesses for their help. But we need everyone's help to make sure that we get the money to get the work carried out to save the churches for the future."

Donations can be sent to Fr John Francis, St Wilfrid's, The Rectory, Riverside, Ribchester, PR3 3XS.