AN APPEAL to restore the 199 Church Steps in Whitby has raised £35,000 in two months.

Residents, organisations and businesses are being urged to sponsor a step on the way to the historic parish church of St Mary's and Whitby Abbey for £1,000.

The 200-year-old steps are Grade II-listed and English Heritage has contributed towards the £199,000 repair work.

The steps, used by tourists between the harbourside Tate Hill Pier and St Mary's, are the responsibility of the parochial church council of St Mary's.

But there is concern as the steps and railings no longer meet health and safety regulations.

Churchwarden John Hemson said: "They were built as an access for church-goers to St Mary's from the old town area, and for coffins to be carried to the church.

As a result there are still several 'coffin rests' up the steps where pall-bearers were able to take a rest on the way to the church."

One of the biggest problems with the restoration work will be getting machinery to the site because of the narrow, steep access.

The church faces a £22,000 bill in the next few months for geological surveys to be carried out to find out the stability of the cliff prior to the restoration of the steps going ahead.

Mr Hemson said: "The steps are renowned world-wide and held in much affection by people who visited Whitby over the years. We are now hoping that the appeal gathers pace to enable the work to get under way as soon as possible".

One of the latest donations has come from the Benson Stage Academy, in Whitby, which contributed £2,000 to mark its 50th anniversary.

A team from the Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust climbed the 199 steps 385 times, the equivalent of conquering Mount Everest, to raise £600.