MIDDLESBROUGH'S Mayor Ray Mallon has become a member of an exclusive club.

Mr Mallon was one of the first people to put his hand in his pocket to help pay for the renovation of the church where he was christened.

St Patrick's RC Church was built in 1891 in Thornaby, but it is in desperate need of major repair work.

In March, Mr Mallon helped launch the 500Club, a scheme where 500 people and businesses were askedto make a one-off donation of £100.

At the launch he promised to approach local businesses to help get the fund on its way to achieving the target.

This has resulted in Trevor Arnold, of K Holme engineering, Javed Majid, of Tall Trees, Yarm, and James Barker, of Barker and Stonehouse, signing up for the scheme.

Mr Mallon said: "I am naturally very attached to this church.

"As well as being a bedrock of the community, it is where I was baptised and holds many memories for me."

As the latest drive starts to gain momentum, the Reverend Michael Keogh said the church's debts of £90,000 had been reduced to less than £40,000 thanks to other fundraising schemes.

He said: "We have had a few donations to the 500Club but it is still early days and we are hopeful the business community will respond to the campaign that Mr Mallon has helped us to launch."