An HISTORIC village church has smashed its fundraising target following two attacks by heartless thieves.

St Nicholas’ Church, in Castle Hedingham, dates back to the 12th century and is a Grade I listed landmark.

However, the church was left devastated after crooks struck twice in a matter of days.

Church representatives said thieves first struck on December 18 and stole the downpipes on the side of the church.

The thieves walked away with the bottom 12 feet of each pipe which help drain water from the church’s gutters.

Despite residents and the church being on alert following the incident, thieves struck again just three days later when returning for the top halves they left behind.

In order to pay for repairs to the church, bosses made an insurance claim.

However, the church was left looking for cash when it was revealed they must pay a premium of more than £1,000.

Churchwarden Sue Southgate launched a fundraiser to help cover the cost.

However, just four days after launching the Gofundme campaign to raise £1,200, the church exceeded its target by more than £100.

The Rev Liz Paxton, of St Nicholas’ Church, said: “After the shock and disappointment of the theft of the cast iron downpipes from our beautiful Grade I listed church in Castle Hedingham the churchwarden Sue Southgate lost no time in instigating a fundraising campaign to help with their replacement.

“The response from the residents has been most heartening both financially and in their comments about this architectural treasure at the heart of the village.

“It’s been a difficult time for our church members as we are currently closed for worship but the magnificent and immediate response from the village has brought some hope and encouragement at this difficult time to gladden our hearts.

“We hope to restore the church’s downpipes as soon as possible, replacing the temporary plastic pipes installed in an emergency over the Christmas period.”

With the fundraising total now at £1,335, the church says any spare funds will be used to make improvements to the building.

A HISTORIC village church has smashed their fundraising target following two attacks by heartless lead thieves.

The St Nicholas church in Castle Hedingham dates back to the 12th Century and is a Grade 1 listed landmark in the village.

However, the church was left reeling after lead thieves struck on two occasions in just a matter of days.

The church say thieves first struck on December 18 and targeted the downpipes on the side of the church.

The thieves walked away with the bottom twelve feet of each pipe which help drain water from the church's gutters.

Despite residents and the church being on alert following the incident, thieves struck again just two days later when they returned for the top half's of the pipes they left behind.

In order to pay for repairs to the church, bosses made an insurance claim.

However, the church were left scrabbling for cash when it was revealed they must pay a premium of more than £1,000.

As a result, St Nicholas's churchwarden Sue Southgate launched a fundraiser to help pay for the premium.

However, just four days after launching their Gofundme campaign to raise £1,200, the church has already exceeded their target by £55.

The church's Reverend Liz Paxton said: "After the shock and disappointment of the theft of the cast iron downpipes from our beautiful Grade 1 listed church in Castle Hedingham the churchwarden Sue Southgate lost no time in instigating a fundraising campaign to help with their replacement.

"Only three days after starting a Gofundme page and promoting it on the local village Facebook page we have almost reached our total of £1200.

"The response from the local residents has been most heartening both financially and in their comments about this architectural treasure at the heart of the village.

"It has been a difficult time for our church members as we are currently closed for worship but the magnificent and immediate response from the village has brought some hope and encouragement at this difficult time to gladden our hearts.

"We hope to restore the church’s downpipes as soon as possible, replacing the temporary plastic pipes installed in an emergency over the Christmas period."

With their total sitting at £1,255 at the time of writing, the church have made it clear that any spare funds will be used to make improvements to the church.