A MASSIVE fundraising campaign has been launched in a bid to save a church that needs major restoration work costing up to £750,000.

St Katharine’s, a Grade II listed building opposite the award-winning Exbury Gardens in the New Forest, has been placed on the “At Risk” register compiled by English Heritage.

Members of the congregation fear the 190-year-old church could close if urgently-needed repairs are not carried out.

An application for a £250,000 grant is about to be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund. However, the cost of refurbishing the tower and memorial chapel at St Katharine’s could devour the whole amount - and other parts of the building also need major maintenance.

The fundraising appeal has a provisional target of £400,000 but the final figure could be far higher.

Church treasurer Jeremy Forsyth said: “The stone was obtained from a Ventnor quarry 100 years ago, when the seam was coming to an end and the quality was getting very poor.“The cost of repairs is creeping up all the time and could total as much as £750,000.

“The church could become redundant if the restoration work does not proceed. We’re in the process of applying for a grant to the Heritage Lottery Fund but we’ll need funding from other sources as well.”

Originally a brick chapel opened in 1827, the church was rebuilt about 90 years ago.

In the 1920s the tower and memorial chapel were added by the Forster family, who lived in nearby Lepe. The chapel is dedicated to the memory of Lord Forster’s two sons, John and Alfred, who were both killed in the First World War.

English Heritage says St Katharine’s is suffering from “slow decline” and describes its condition as “poor”.