Bournemouth’s Sacred Heart Church will hold a concert this week to raise money towards the £250,000 it needs for restoration and cleaning works.

Shine, the Sacred Heart in Need Appeal, has been fundraising since last summer so that the church’s leaking roof can be repaired and specialist cleaning work can be carried out on its interior.

Around £125,000 has been raised so far, leaving the appeal halfway towards reaching its goal.

Saturday evening’s Magnificat, which is hoped to raise around £1,000, will see performances from The Harmonium Singers, a Hampshire chamber choir, and the Dorset-based Grainger String Quartet, and is the first of two fundraising concerts to take place in the coming month.

All of the performers in both concerts have agreed to appear free of charge to help raise money for the church’s restoration.

Reverend Bruce Barnes, parish priest at the Sacred Heart, said: “The church has always played a prominent part in the Bournemouth community. Now we’re looking to the community to help us with this appeal. We’re really counting on these two concerts to raise money.”

Magnificat will begin at 7.30pm on Saturday, April 21, at the Sacred Heart Church on Richmond Hill in Bournemouth. Tickets cost £7.50 if bought in advance or £10 at the door on the night, and include an interval drink and canapés.

Visit www.shineappeal.co.uk/book-online/ or telephone 01202 551013 to book.