An appeal for the re-roofing of a Winchester church has raised more than £60,000.

The Roof Appeal for St Swithun upon Kingsgate has reached its total following £30,000 in grants and the rest from donations and fundraising.

Fundraising efforts included signing a roof tile for a donation, meaning that names, prayers and anniversaries are now laid on the roof for generations to come.

Project manager for the re-roofing of St Swithun's upon Kingsgate Chris Higgins said: " The massive support and lovely comments by the Winchester community was particularly overwhelming.

The result of the Roof Appeal has made it very clear the place this unique building has in the hearts of many people, here and elsewhere and for many different reasons."

Donations came from the four corners of Hampshire, Oxfordshire, London, Sussex, South Africa and Germany.

They included support from the Winchester branch of the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS).

The Kingsgate businesses, which include Kingsgate Books and Prints, P G Wells Books, Cornflowers, Kingsgate Wines and Provisions and The Wykeham Arms, all encouraged customers to support donation boxes and used social media to talk about the appeal.

Tim Pride of Kingsgate Wines and Provisions also held a very successful Wine Tasting in St Lawrence Church in support of the cause.

There was also a musical fundraising evening by violinist Francis Wells, retired of Winchester College and conductor of Winchester Symphony Orchestra and Winchester City Choir, and pianist Anne Stow, also at St Lawrence Church.

The parish also received £23,200 from The Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, £3,000 from The Hampshire and Islands Historic Churches Trust and a matching £ 3,000 from The National Churches Trust.

On the completion of the re roofing, the first service was held on December 11 followed by Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and normal services times will be resumed in January.

On January 28 at 10am a short service of thanksgiving will be held at St Swithun for everyone who helped make the re-roofing possible.