Parishioners at a Wimbledon church have launched an impassioned appeal to raise money to save its historic spire.

The iconic 200 foot spire of St Mary’s Church in Wimbledon has stood tall over Wimbledon for 170 years and is an established local landmark.

It is known to millions more as the backdrop to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. The distinctive spire, designed by Victorian architect George Gilbert Scott, is in danger of collapse and in desperate need of restoration.

With repairs likely to cost in excess of £100,000, the church is now in a race against time to raise the funds and prevent the spire from falling into disrepair and disappearing from the skyline forever.

The Rector and Reverend Mary Bide said: "If we don’t act quickly, the water will get in more and make the repairs even more costly."

Rainwater has already caused some damage to the main timber frame beneath the spire which is clad in thousands of cedar wood shingle roof tiles which have rotted.

These must be replaced along with the wooden battens to which they are nailed.

The church’s congregation donated more than £200,000 last year to pay for repairs to the chuch roof, but more still needs to be done.

Rev Bide said: "Our congregations are very generous in funding the upkeep of the church buildings but it’s a challenge when the bills for repairs are so high.

"That’s why we’re now appealing to the wider public to help us save the spire."

By next year’s Championships the spire is likely to be clad in scaffolding, but the speed of the restoration will depend on their success at fundraising.

For more information and to donate visit stmaryswimbledon.org, text SPIR19 and the amount you would like to donate to 70070, or visit justgiving.com/spiresw19.