St Michael’s Church in Beccles is hosting a series of lunch time concerts to help complete restoration projects on the building.

Musical Bites will be held between 12.30pm and 1.15pm where people will be able to buy sandwiches and light lunches provided by the church or bring their own lunch and enjoy the musical entertainment provided.

Next Saturday, August 21, the Beccles Church Choir will take the stage singing popular classics by Bach, Schubert and Handel and Bungay Sixth Form student Jonathan Palman will be on hand next month to delight the crowd.

The organist has aspirations of becoming an organ scholar at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds.

“This is an attempt to get people using the church,” said church warden Phil Filer. “And to tell people it is part of the community.”

The event is free but donations are welcome, with proceeds going towards The Friends of St Michael’s Church South Porch Appeal.

Mr Filer said: “The porch roof needs to be repaired. And then we’re hoping to move on to star repairs on the north and south roof. We’re hoping repairs will be started by early next year.”

Concerts will also take place on August 28, September 4 and 11 and will continue on into the autumn.

The church is also offering the use of a large room in its under croft for community groups to use. The space was recently redecorated by a group of 25 volunteers over a three day period.

“It is an under used resource,” said Mr Filer. “We want it to be used more by the community. There is a fully equipped kitchen, toilets and storage space. It needs to be used a lot more.

“The idea is to get all of the church used by the community more. The building and its resources belong to them.”

The terrace outside the church is next on the list to be improved, with repairs to the pavement and drainage, which can be used for receptions and barbecues.

For more information about Musical Bites or using the church space, call Carrie Darnell on 01502 716370 or email beccles.parish@virgin.net