A church needs to raise £187,000 to repair its rotting roof and secure its future.

St John’s Church in Station Road, March, applied for £100,000 from the Chancellor’s Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, but they have just found out their bid was unsuccessful.

They will not be allowed to apply again before the end of next year, by which point The Revd Clifford Stocking fears it may be too late.

So, the responsibility for raising the gigantic sum rests with the church’s small congregation.

They have already organised a first batch of fundraising events - what they desperately need is the community’s support.

First up is a 1950s theme Raise The Roof family disco at St John’s Church Hall on Saturday April 11 from 7.30-11pm.

Revd Stocking said: “The south facing part of the roof is basically rotting. It’s probably got about two or three years left before there is serious water damage and water comes through it.

“We applied to the Chancellor’s churches fund but they were inundated with applications and we’ve just found out we were unsuccessful. It’s disappointing - we’ll have to do it by ourselves.

“They say you can apply again at the end of 2016 but by then the damage would be even greater and the costs would have spiralled.

“We can go after other grants but they will be a lot smaller, so we’ll need a lot of them.

“We have a small congregation and we are all trying to think of ways to raise money. If this end of March is to keep having a church, we need help.”

The church, was built by T.H. Wyatt in the ‘Gothic’ style, was consecrated on July 29 1872 by the Bishop of Ely.