Residents are rallying round to give an historic church a new lease of life.

Neighbours living opposite Holy Trinity Church in Halstead are working together to raise funds to help improve the Victorian building.

The group, which includes town councillors Shirley Diver and Eileen Penn, have reformed the Friends of Holy Trinity team in a bid to get the project moving forward.

Plans are now in place to host a variety of events in the coming months to raise cash for new heating and a compostable toilet to be installed in the church.

Member Sally Card said: “There used to be a group like this but it no longer existed so we got together to see if we could reform it.

“We want to give the church a second lease of life and bring it back into greater community use.

“We want to hold things like jumble sales in there and events which involve everyone in the town.

“Me and my husband live opposite the church and it is such a lovely thing to look out on everyday. It’s a shame it doesn’t get used more so we want to put that right and make it an important part of the community again.”

Holy Trinity Church was decommissioned in 1987 and is now only used for a handful of church services each year.

The building was famously designed by architect George Gilbert Scott, who was also responsible for drawing up plans for Kings Cross St Pancras Station and the Albert Memorial.

The Churches Conservation Trust is responsible for the upkeep of the building but would be unable to spend significant amounts of money on improving the facilities.

Holy Trinity Church does not have any heating or a toilet at present and it is estimated a compostable toilet would cost £1,500.

Steve Card, who is also a member of the fundraising team, added: “We can’t do much else to the fabric of the church without planning permission but we want to be able to make it somewhere which can be used regularly.”

The first fundraiser to be held at the church will be a performance of a Christmas Carol by This Is My Theatre.

Tickets will be £12.50 for adults, £5 for under 16s and a family ticket is £32.