PARISHIONERS at a Helmshore church face a desperate bid to raise £80,000 for repairs to the bell tower.

The tower at St Thomas’s Church, in Helmshore Road, is currently closed because of problems with damp.

As a result the church has had to stop ringing the bells, and the clock has stopped working because of the damp conditions.

Lowri Cope, a parishioner and member of the fundraising committee, said the closure was a blow to local residents.

“It is a shame for the local community,” she said. “The tower and the clock are a visual landmark, people see it everyday.

“Even if they don’t go to church they look up at the clock to check the time or they hear the bells ringing.

“We have had to do weddings without the bells as well, which is not ideal for couples getting married here.”

The church hopes to raise enough in the next few weeks to get surveys done to get a final estimate on the cost of repairing the tower.

Mrs Cope said: “We have got to raise so much before we even start the work.

“We have to get surveys done, which are expensive, to find out the full extent of what needs doing.

“We are still trying to raise enough to get on and start with the estimates.”

“So far we have raised about £8,000, we’ve had a lot of support from the local community and businesses.

“We’re looking at different ways to raise money.”

An auction of promises to raise money will be held at the church hall from 7pm on Saturday October 9.

Promises on offer include airport pick-ups christmas cakes, jet washing, gardening services, baby sitting and french lessons.