Vicar fears closure of iconic Birmingham Church unless £40,000 can be raised for urgent roof repairs

St Paul's in the Jewellery Quarter is a Grade I listed church

An iconic church in Birmingham is facing closure unless £40,000 can be raised to make urgent repairs to its roof. 

The Rev Andrew Gorham, interim vicar of St Paul's in the Jewellery Quarter, said that the ceiling was at risk of collapsing because of the water coming in through the damaged guttering. 

"The guttering of the church is worn out and therefore the water is getting into the church when we have heavy rain," he told the Birmingham Mail.

"It gets into the church and causes a lot of damage to the interior of the church." 

The Grade I listed church dates back 250 years and is situated in a pretty tree-lined Georgian square. 

Rev Gorham said that unless the funds can be raised, the church may have to limit the use of the building or close it altogether. 

"We need to raise £40,000 to have guttering lined and to prevent water coming in. It will make the building watertight," he said. 

"The danger is that of we do not get the guttering lined, the ceilings will collapse and we would stop using the building. We could close or have a very limited use of the building.

"Fund-raising is very challenging. We've put in a number of applications for charity funding and we are also doing a number of events like a fete on Saturday and Sunday." 

So far, fundraising efforts have raised £5,000 towards the goal. 

Rev Gorham is hoping that local businesses and residents will get behind the fundraising campaign to save the church. 

"We hope the Jewellery Quarter are going to get behind us and with their help and encouragement, we will keep the building open," he said. 

News
Retired pastor prosecuted under abortion buffer zone laws 
Retired pastor prosecuted under abortion buffer zone laws 

A retired pastor is being prosecuted for an alleged breach of an abortion clinic buffer zone in Northern Ireland. 

Gateway Church founder Robert Morris charged with child sex abuse
Gateway Church founder Robert Morris charged with child sex abuse

Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child by a multi-county grand jury in Oklahoma on Wednesday. The indictment stems from allegations made by Cindy Clemishire last June that he sexually abused her over multiple years in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12.

Former Conservative MP has 'no confidence' in assisted dying bill safeguards
Former Conservative MP has 'no confidence' in assisted dying bill safeguards

A Former Conservative MP has "no confidence" in assisted dying bill safeguards

Former bishop gets four years for historic sex offences
Former bishop gets four years for historic sex offences

The former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon has been sentenced to just over four years in prison after admitting sex offences against a young boy.