A RAFFLE of amazing prizes in aid of All Saints Church in Leigh has raised almost £2,000 to secure the future of the building.

After a yearly inspection in the winter of last year the church was deemed in need of urgent repair and the committee which looks after the church decided it would need to make them despite the cost.

The work on the roofing and guttering wiped out the savings of the church and it was decided that they would need to organise several fundraisers to begin further improvements to the church after the repairs.

A committee of volunteers organised a raffle and had prizes donated by residents of the village including stays at five-star hotels in central London, a Christmas wine selection, tickets to Badminton Horse Trials and handmade jewellery.

Church treasurer Hugh Thomas said that he was hoping that the raffle would raise between £500 and £700 and was overwhelmed by the support of residents and friends when they sold 1,959 tickets at £1 each.

He said: “Although there is a very small regular congregation there is a general feeling in the village that people wanted the church to carry on.”

Hugh said that as a result of meetings with people in the village it was decided that the church should be made to operate as more of a community space for gathering as well as church services.

“To do more we need to make it a more usable building, so we need to spend more money over the next year on the heating. We have no running water in the church and no loos,” he said.

“If the building is going to be used by the community it is going to need things like that.”

The committee will be running further fundraising events in the New Year to raise several thousand pounds more to get the church reserves back to where they stood before the repairs.