A unique new website was officially launched on Tuesday at St Patrick's Church, Edinburgh, to offer advice, guidance and knowledge on successful church maintenance.

www.maintainyourchurch.org.uk has been formed out of a partnership between the Church of Scotland, Scottish Episcopal Church, Bishops' Conference of Scotland and Historic Scotland.

It will offer all those who deal with church building maintenance an opportunity to access relevant information and take part in a discussion form, regardless of denomination.

A number of learning modules covering topics such as types of church buildings and good church housekeeping are featured on the website, while a series of toolkit modules will provide answers to problems generally experienced in maintaining a church. There will also be information about architectural features found in Scottish churches.

Those involved with church maintenance can put forward their maintenance problems and provide the solutions to any questions in a special discussion area.

With at least 2000 church buildings in Scotland, of which 1400 belong to the Church of Scotland, the new website is welcomed by all who are involved with care and welfare of these important structures, the Church of Scotland said.