A fundraiser has been launched to help pay a £15,000 repair bill for a historic church hit by a run of bad luck.

In the space of just weeks, parishioners of the Grade I St Laurence-in-Thanet Church, the oldest in Ramsgate, have found themselves facing a freezing and wet winter after the building's boiler broke and thieves made off with lead from the roof.

They only discovered the lead missing when water started pouring inside during the recent wet weather.

Parish administrator Freda Parker says it breaks her heart that people can do this.

"It wasn't until we had some really bad weather that we realised, " she said.

"We got right up on the roof and we could see that about two metres of lead had been taken."

But she admits the biggest worry at the moment is the boiler and how they will heat up the church, particularly during the busy Christmas period.

She says it will cost in the region of £15,000 for repairs.

In a bid to get it fixed, the church has now teamed up with the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs to invite the Merry Opera Company to perform Handel's Messiah in the church hall on Saturday, November 23, or if temporary heating can be arranged in the church.

Proceeds from the performance will be donated towards repairs.

Michael Wheatley, director of Sarah Thorne, says the theatre company is also looking to find a local firm to hire commercial heaters for the church until the boiler is up and running.

Tickets to the Merry Opera performance are £18 each and available from the church office (cash only) or on-line from www.sarahthornetheatre.co.uk.

To donate to the fundraiser visit www.stlaurenceparish-ramsgate.org.uk/

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet