A folk concert has raised over £650 to help pay for desperately needed repairs to the iconic octagonal church roof lantern at St James in Teignmouth.

Organised by Teignmouth Folk Festival Secretary Amanda Wheaton, the concert featured over a dozen acts.

‘This church is of great historical and architectural significance in Teignmouth and needs a lot of help to restore it,’ Amanda said.

The octagonal nave at St James’ Church, with its extraordinary eight-windowed roof light, was built in 1821. However, it has been letting rain into the church, which dates back to Medieval times in some parts. A recent inspection recommended a full renovation, which is likely to cost £400,000 with an additional £400,000 needed to repair the roof and fabric of the building that has been damaged by the wet coming in.

The work is likely to take 10 months with each of the eight sections needing to be taken off-site for restoration.