An SOS from a parish church has been answered, with major funding on the way from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

St Mary the Virgin at St Blazey Gate is a focal point for its community; not only is the church used for services and celebrations, it also serves as a concert and exhibition venue for the Par area.

But the building’s 168-year-old tower and spire is crumbling and in dire need of repair.

After a ‘Save Our Spire’ (SOS) call from a team of volunteers at the church, the team has now heard it will receive an initial £25,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

This money will help move the plans forward, and all being well, a further £250,000 grant will be obtained to carry out the restoration, said team member Diana Osborne.

‘The pretty rose-coloured church with its distinctive spire has been a focal point in the area since it was built in 1849,’ she said.

St Mary the Virgin in Par was designed by the eminent Victorian architect George Edmund Street.

The church was later described by Sir John Betjeman as being ‘the work of an artist’, and the best example of the architect’s many church designs. Its square tower has an octagonal belfry, and its spire has been used as a day-marker by those at sea.

As well as stabilising and making safe the tower and spire at St Mary the Virgin, the HLF-funded project also aims to carry out conservation work and inform visitors about its monuments, and flora and fauna in the churchyard.