A specially designed brooch to raise funds to look after one of the highest churches in the region will be given to members of a new group to ensure its future.

The brooch, based on the design of a stained glass window at St Michael’s de Rupe, Brentor is part of the launch of the Friends of St Michael’s group, to support the maintenance and work of the iconic church.

A group launch party will be staged in Brentor Village Hall on Saturday, September 28, from 10am-4pm which is open to everyone interested in finding out more about the plans.

The church and residents are working together within the group which costs £10 a year to join, including the exclusive enamel brooch, designed especially for members.

The launch party will showcase church cards with original artwork commissioned for the occasion and a dazzling display of photographs, with refreshments.

Dartmoor National Park Authority has agreed to transfer the car park and toilets at St Michael’s to Brentor Church. It is hoped that decision will be marked at the launch, legal issues pending.

The Grade One listed building, which is 900 years old, has found a certain fame as the highest working church in the south of England. Some 30,000 people brave the elements to make the trek up the tor each year.

The Rev Matt Godfrey, parish priest, said: “Working parish church St Michael de Rupe (Brentor) is one of the most iconic churches in Devon, if not the country. Thousands of visitors make the climb each year to see it, come rain, mist or sunshine, drawn for a whole host of reasons.

“Brides choose to don wellies with their wedding dresses and get married there. People come to feel the wind on their face, to pray, to sit under the stars or to remember a loved one – and the church community seeks to offer hospitality to all these visitors, whether two-legged or four, in an array of small ways.  By starting the Friends of St Michael’s, we want to invite people from far and wide who treasure this special place, to help maintain it for generations to come.”