Autumn craft fair at St Barnabas centre raises almost £1,000 for repairs at Thorley's historic St James the Great Church

The Friends of St James the Great at Thorley have raised almost £1,000 to maintain the grade 1 listed Norman church with an autumn craft fair.

Chairman Philip Hargrave said: "Although it's hard to judge the total number of attendees, what I can say is that the church's large car park reached capacity and the St Barnabas Centre, where the event was held, was bustling with people from start to finish."

Saturday's (November 13) event featured 14 stalls selling items including plants and Fairtrade products. Visitors were also able to enjoy a range of refreshments including home-made soups.

Mr Hargrave said: "We're still awaiting some final receipts, but we're confident that the final total sum raised will be over £900 and hopefully close to £1,000."

He said the friends were in the process of finalising their next major fundraising objective. Earlier this month they funded a £7,200 grant to the parochial church council to cover repairs identified during an inspection of the ancient place of worship.

Mr Hargrave added: "Needless to say, the friends welcome new members, whether those purely interested in the history of the church or the role of the church in Thorley or members of St James the Great."

For more information, see www.friends-stjames.org.