PARISHIONERS have made major strides to reach their goal to raise £200,000 to buy a town centre church.

An appeal launched a mere nine months ago by St Helen’s Orthodox Church in Colchester’s Dutch Quarter has already reached more than £112,000.

Fundraisers need the money to buy the nearby St Martin’s Orthodox Church, which is owned by the Church Conservation Trust, with the rest of the money needed to refurbish it.

Mark Shillaker, appeal committee publicity officer, said: “We are a lot further ahead than we thought we would be at this stage.

“The Church Conservation Trust have said they will start to put the wheels in motion to get ready for us to buy the building but we still need to reach that £150,000.

“We have been very fortunate. We have had donations from Orthodox churches around the world, non-Orthodox people and people interested in historical buildings and a wide section of the community, both locally and globally. We have found it very heartening.”

READ MORE: Worshippers in bid to raise £200k to buy St Martin's Church

St Helen’s Church has been home to the Orthodox parish for 18 years but has always been too small for the numbers attending.

St Martin’s Church in West Stockwell Street has been closed to the public for some time but is an important part of Colchester’s medieval heritage.

It has previously been home to Colchester Theatre Group for 30 years, and has been used as an arts venue.

Mr Skillaker added: “The Dutch Quarter would benefit from that building being used regularly and brought to life.

“We hope to work with businesses and anyone who lives and works in the area to make that happen.

“Our goal is to try to add to improvements going on in Colchester town centre - that is a key part of our mission.”

The £200,000 will pay for the purchase the building, plus heating installations, security and other facilities.

A parish lunch to relaunch the appeal was attended at the weekend by guests including Colchester’s deputy mayor Nick Cope and Castle ward councillor Darius Laws.

Also in attendance was His Eminence Silouan, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland.

A Facebook page and a website have been set up for the appeal.

Visit orthodoxcolchesterappeal.org.uk or www.facebook.com/stmartinsappeal/.

Those wanting to donate cash or cheques can visit the Maidenburgh Street chapel directly.

Bank transfers can be made by calling 01206 530 530 or emailing the appeal treasurer Nick Taylor at st.helen@taylorrushby.com.