A CHURCH is holding a day of fund-raising today for its plans to build a parish hall.

The building proposed for St Mary Magdalene Church in Belmont, Durham, will cost more than £500,000.

So far £140,000 has been raised, including £96,000 given by the church's Guide and Scout groups.

Today a summer fair will be held at the Belmont Grange Nursing Home between 10am and 3pm.

An eight-hour sponsored piano-playing marathon will start in the church at 10am and will be followed in the evening by a piano concert at 7.30pm, also in the church.

Money from the pianothon will be shared with St Cuthbert's Hospice.

The parish hall will be a base for church activities, community groups in Belmont and Carrville, and the permanent home for the Scouts and Guides.

The vicar, the Reverend Robert Innes, said: "We have got between 16 and 20 pianists playing in the marathon who will be raising their own money.

"They include George Hetherington, musical director of Durham Amateur Operatic Society, and Alan Oyston, director of Durham Singers.''

The Rev Innes said: "The intention is to send out appeal forms to members of our church to raise what we hope will match the £96,000 given by the Scouts and Guides.

"We are currently putting in another Lottery bid, which will be in by the end of July, and we are very optimistic about it.

"With the last bid we wanted a lot more money but we are now more realistic. Since then we have carried out a household survey, looked at options for sites and carried out a survey of users."