A VILLAGE church is desperately looking for new ways to raise money after launching a second major appeal in five years.

Parishioners of St Mary's Church, Stone, are negotiating scaffolding and building equipment to get to services and half the church has had to be roped off because of the danger from falling masonry. Rev John Cox and his congregation need to raise £40,000 to restore St Mary's Church, Stone.

The church, which dates back to the 13th century and was rebuilt in the 1830s, has a small congregation but about £40,000 is needed to complete work on its north and south side.

An appeal in 1997 helped restore its crumbling spire and tower but the church could face an uncertain future unless the money can be found.

The churchyard is notable as being the resting place of former Shatterford Grand Prix ace Peter Collins, who died after a high-speed smash at the 1958 German Grand Prix.

The church boasts a unique commemorative stained glass window featuring a chequered flag.

Appeals committee member Peter Fox said: "We have explored lots of fund-raising avenues through the world of motorsport but not a lot of money has been forthcoming and there is also uncertainty over whether we will receive an interest-free loan from the diocese which we had been expecting.

"We do our best with fund-raising events and have a sponsor a stone appeal in the church but we are now getting to the desperation stage."

He added: " The work is going ahead but we need to be able to pay for it. The problem we have is that the church is in the middle of nowhere and although the parish includes the Spennells estate, people there only come to the church for weddings."

The vicar, the Rev John Cox, said: "The problem is that when the church was rebuilt the Victorian builders thought the best way to fuse the stonework together was by using iron clips.

"But over the years the lead casings have cracked and the water has got in. Consequently the stone is very porous and needs replacing.

"The diocescan grant aid system makes it difficult for a church like us to get money while it seems we don't fall into the remit for the heritage lottery fund which prefers the industrial West Midlands to leafy Worcestershire when it comes to handing out money."