A CENTURIES old church has received a boost to its funds for a new heating system thanks to staff at a five star hotel resort.

All Saints Church in Hurworth has been raising money to update its ageing boiler system which has become ineffective and inefficient.

When staff at Rockliffe Hall heard about the fund they organised a variety of raffles at its events over the summer and has now donated the £2,000 proceeds to the church.

The money will be put towards installing an eco-friendly biomass heating system and Denis Pinnegar from All Saints was grateful for the donation.

He said: “The running costs for the old heating system are constantly increasing and are just no longer affordable for a small church such as ours.

“The biomass system is incredibly efficient and is also eco-friendly which is an added bonus for the community.

“All donations for this appeal have come from local people and organisations and we are incredibly grateful to everyone involved.

“The money raised by Rockliffe Hall’s team and their customers is such a fantastic boost for us and our community.”

All Saints dates back to the 1700s and the chief executive of Rockliffe Hall, Eamonn Elliott, described it as the “hub of the Hurworth community”.

He added: “We’re really pleased to be able to contribute to the local community in this way and we’re also very grateful to our guests for their generosity during the appeal.”

All Saints is not the only church in the area in need of a new heating system as fundraising for a new boiler continues at St Cuthbert’s Church in Darlington town centre.

For the last two winters services have had to be moved from St Cuthbert’s to its church hall due to the aged heating system being unable to bring temperatures much above ten degrees during the coldest weather.

The Friends of St Cuthbert’s have managed to secure some money from English Heritage to replace the system but there is still a long way to go before the total needed - around £60,000 – is reached.

The public will get the chance to learn more about St Cuthbert’s fundraising plans, and other ongoing renovation projects, during the Heritage Open Days from September 10 to 13.

Other Darlington churches taking part in the open day scheme include St Andrew’s Church at Haughton le Skerne and St Mary’s Church in Gainford.