Roof repairs taking shape at Wellington church

Major work to repair a church in Shropshire will be unveiled in March – despite vandals scaling the building and throwing masonry from its roof.

About £180,000 has been spent on re-slating the roof at Christ Church, in Wellington, after an appeal was launched last year.

The work began last October but vandals struck last week, with youths climbing up the scaffolding and throwing masonry off the roof.

• See pictures of the view from the top of the church in our gallery to your right

Church warden Richard Page has appealed for local residents to be vigilant in light of the vandalism.

"We are really keen for people living in the area to keep an eye on the outside and call the police if they see any problems.

"If anybody had been walking around the church that night, they could have been killed," he said.

Chris Ammonds, spokesman for Telford police, said officers were investigating the incident as criminal damage. The church's main roof has now been re-slated, the tower has been re-tiled and work has begun on the pinnacle.

Mr Page, who has been enjoying views from the vantage point, said: "The pointing on the pinnacle was so bad you could see daylight in the tower.

Apart from replacing the occasional slate because of storm damage there has been no substantial work done on the roof since it was built in 1839."

Half the money for the work was donated by English Heritage with the rest coming from grants plus £5,000 raised through a slate appeal.

People donated money for the scheme, often in memory of a loved one, and the names will be recorded in a book to be kept at the church, in New Church Road.

The church is also looking ahead to raise another £150,000 to £200,000 to refurbish inside the building, to include new toilets, meeting rooms and kitchen facilities.