A £4 million church restoration scheme is on target to carry out the first phase of work.

The Beyond 150 appeal to renovate the community buildings surrounding St Mary Magdalene's Church, in Stoke Bishop, was launched in March of this year and timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the church next spring.

About £1m is needed to restore the interior of St Mary's, while a further £3m will be spent on building new rooms next door. It is hoped the buildings will be used by the community for pre-school groups, exercise classes, meetings and wedding receptions.

Keith Sheather, head of the development committee, said progress was slow but steady.

He said: "As explorer Ranulph Fiennes said you put one foot in front of the other and keep going, this is our Everest and it will be a long climb but we are progressing steadily.

"We've had a few events so far and they have been a great success. We had a jazz concert by the Blue Notes and an evening's entertainment with Fred Wedlock."

The committee say they still have a packed schedule of events for the rest of the year, including a fete at Red Maids' School on July 18 and a treasure hunt trail in Stoke Bishop ending with a cream tea on July 28.

He added that another event planned for later in the year was a gala film night on November 28. Mr Sheather said they planned to screen Singing in the Rain, and the theme would be Hollywood glitz and red carpet.

For any more information on the appeal, call the church office on 0117 968 7449.