THE restoration of a historic landmark, which dominates the north Bromsgrove skyline, will be celebrated by churchgoers at a special service.

The upper part of the crumbling tower at All Saints' Church, in Burcot Lane, has undergone a £60,000 revamp thanks to the efforts of a team of dedicated fundraisers.

The worshippers launched an appeal in 2000 to raise cash for the essential repairs and now a service of celebration is planned to mark completion of the work.

At 10am on Sunday, residents and donors will gather for a special service which will be led by the rural dean Rev David Rogers and the Rev Wendy Moore.

Holy Communion is planned and refreshments will be available afterwards at the church, which was built by J Brazier between 1872 and 1874.

Tessa Carrick, chairman of the church's building committee, hopes there will be a good congregation to celebrate the restoration.

"When we launched the appeal in July 2000 we did not think we would raise enough, so it's great to have completed so much restoration. The sandstone in churches like ours does not wear well and constantly needs attention.

Architects Wood, Kendrick and Williams of Worcester and WBM Restorations Ltd, of Lichfield, teamed up for the project.

The work began in May 2001 when scaffolding was erected and the project was completed last November. A final inspection in May proved the job had been done satisfactorily.

The Grade II listed building received backing from generous residents, Bromsgrove District Council, the LG Harris and Co Charitable Trust, the Len Giles Trust and many others.