THE parish church in Milton Abbot is holding a Christmas Coffee & Crafts event in November to raise money for a new boiler.

The fundraiser has come as the congregation of St Constantine’s Church face their third winter without central heating.

After raising over £90,000 to restore their listed bells, they had hoped for a quiet spell on the fundraising trail.

Unfortunately, though, the church’s incredibly old boiler failed and cannot be repaired. With no running water to the church or gas in the village, the only solution is an electric system.

However, due to the building’s historic importance, getting the necessary approvals for the work, and finding the money to complete the project is proving quite a challenge.

Their latest fundraiser is a Christmas Coffee & Crafts event in the church on Saturday, November 16 from 10am–1pm.

The church will be full of locally-made crafts for festive gifts, as well as coffee and homemade cake to keep shoppers going.

The Grade I listed church has a fascinating history, having been originally looked after by the monks of Tavistock Abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries when it passed into the hands of the Russell family, later the Dukes of Bedford.

More recently, parishioners raised more than £90,000 to rehang the historic church bells – dating from the 1700s – on a new steel bell frame to replace the rotten wooden one.

Anyone who would like to learn to ring the church bells, is urged to contact churchwarden Liz Padmore, [email protected]