MEMBERS of a Kendal church in need of urgent repair are hoping a supermarket chain's generous offer will be the answer to their prayers.

Around £10,000 needs to be raised to help repair the battered south tower at St George's Church beside Gooseholme - and Morrisons is hoping to come to the rescue with an in-store raffle.

Members of the church are desperately trying to raise the sum to help pay for around £30,000 worth of urgent structural restoration work.

Improvements co-ordinator at St George's, Stephen Appleby, said £20,000 had already been raised but that the raffle with a number of Morrisons vouchers up for grabs - was to be held to help fund a new leaded roof and the re-pointing of all the stonework.

"We need to get this work done soon or there will be even more problems down the line. The roof of the tower has really deteriorated," said Mr Appleby.

"The roof leaks very badly and you can see daylight through the gaps. The towers were lowered a number of years ago to reduce the weight on the church foundations.

"Originally, they were very tall with slated spires, but now they are capped with glass fibre. We are going to have to replace these for a start and all the joints need work too. It really is urgent. If we don't do it now it will end up costing even more.

"Morrisons has been very generous, and a number of the vouchers have been put up by private individuals."

In 2001, £100,000 was spent transforming the church's front porch and creating a community area. Mr Appleby hopes the money will also stretch to providing a new community office alongside the recent work.

The raffle will take place at the beginning of December, but tickets will be available in advance. For more information or to make a donation, call Mr Appleby on 01539-725449.