THERE will be no stone left unturned and no road untravelled by fundraisers supporting the appeal to raise £500,000 for Evesham's Bell Tower.

The campaign to repair and conserve the iconic tower is moving forward with a major fundraising event taking place each month.

And the appeal is being backed again by one of the town's favourite annual sporting events, the Evesham Vale 10k.

The event takes place later this summer on Sunday, July 13, and hundreds of runners will take part giving the appeal an important boost.

This year will see the race follow the same route as the last event, starting and finishing in the Crown Meadow.

Chairman of the Bell Tower Appeal, Sue Ablett, ran in support of the campaign last year and will do the same this time round.

She said: "I've been running on and off for about 30 years now. I was a founder member of the first Evesham Running Club and, for a long time, the only female member of that club.

"I might have got slower with advancing years but my love of running is as strong as ever.

"There are still a few months to get into training. I've already registered and if I can do it, anyone can. And your race entry will this year allow free entry to the Ringing Chamber in the Bell Tower. A real bonus."

Teams of colleagues are also being encouraged to take part together this year by entering in the corporate category and Evesham Vale Running Club is keen to welcome more runners as they prepare for the event.

Dr Ablett also helped to raise £750 for the appeal last week with a travel talk on her trip to Antarctica.

She added: "The appeal is going well but we can’t afford to relax at all. More and more people are becoming aware of the appeal. At the same time, we are still being asked what is wrong with the tower that it needs so much money spending on it.

"It isn’t falling down and on a beautiful spring day, the tower looks stunning. But look closely and you will see how worn the beautifully detailed stonework is. And if you look really closely you will see pieces of stone held in place with chicken wire to stop them falling off on to passers by."

The next fundraising event is a Ceilidh at 7.30pm on Friday, April 25, in All Saints Church.

For more information about the Bell Tower Appeal, or to arrange a group visit to the Ringing Chamber, email sueablett1@btinternet.com, call 0787 1285606, or visit eveshambelltower.org.uk.

To enter the 10k, sponsored by Run Stuff, visit eveshamvalerunningclub.org.uk.