TEMPLE Church requires an £80,000 cash injection to help re-roof the building and keep it going.

Following a recent visit, inspectors observed that the tower is leaking and the guttering is also damaged.

Although £11,000 has already been raised towards the £80,000 target, plenty more needs to be done to save a church which draws in thousands of visitors each year.

As a result, a fundraising group, known as the Temple Church Community Group, which is mostly made of Temple residents along with a few from Bodmin, has been set up.

Over the next couple of months, five fundraising events have been set up, including a 10k run, a classical music evening and a ‘Homecoming’ event to finish things off on Saturday, September 10.

However, before that, a ‘Marvellous Moths in the shadow of St Catherine’s’ event with national expert and author Adrian Spalding takes place this Saturday at the church from 9pm while a fortnight later, an evening with Andrew Langdon on Crosses and Boundstones of Blisland and Temple will take place, starting at Blisland Village Hall from 7.30pm. Entry is £3.

Besides the fundraising activities, applications for grants, which they are yet to hear back on, have been submitted with help from local conservation consultant David Attwell.

The church has been a proud and constant presence in Temple since the 1800s when the vicar of Warleggan permitted the rebuild of the church. Since then thousands have graced the tiny church.

Nowadays, the church holds a monthly service but is always open, while plenty of people are known to go in there for a period of private worship.

The Rev Canon Sherry Bryan, the local vicar, admits that the current state of the church is worrying, especially as when it becomes unfit to be used as a public building it will have to be shut down unless the funding is raised.

She is in no doubt of the importance of keeping the church going.

Rev Bryan said: “So far we’ve raised just over £11,000 while we are also waiting on grants at the present time. However, it is vital that we do whatever we can to keep Temple Church open.

“It would be a huge loss if it was closed, it is the only place in the local area for people to worship while it’s also an extremely romantic yet spiritual place for everyone.

“It is clearly loved by people, judging by the amount of tourists who come here and the number of people who just come in by themselves for a period of quiet reflection.

“It is also a well known place all over the country. So much so that in October, The Scottish Templars are hosting a conclave in the church, which I’m sure will be an excellent event.”