Most people would balk at the prospect of trying to amass nearly £100,000 in two years - not Sheila Grantham.

In fact the 72-year-old twice former Mayor of Pershore has set the deadline of raising this massive amount to rejuvenate the oldest building in the town - St Andrew's Community Centre.

Mrs Grantham, chairman of the St Andrew's management committee and of the St Andrew's Trust, is the driving force behind the huge appeal which aims to ensure that the building remains the cornerstone of community services.

The converted church provides one of the few halls in the town and a meeting place for numerous community groups such as mothers and toddlers, the volunteer bureau, the mother's union, the parochial church council and many others.

It has a tea room which is open on bank holidays and on farmers market days, staffed by volunteers, and holds sales of home-made jams, pickles and crafts.

It also has a bell tower where the Abbey ringers practise and provides support to the Abbey - choirs and orchestras performing in the Abbey use it for changing and having meals.

St Andrew's, in Church Row, was built in the 11th century as a church for local farmers - the Abbey was for monastic purposes only - and continued in use after 1540 when the monastery was dissolved and the Abbey sold to become a church.

Services ceased there in 1943 and the building was de-consecrated in 1972 and turned into a community centre.

Three years ago the trust spent nearly £59,000 on new toilets and just under £7,000 on revamping the central heating system - draining its funds which now stand at a mere £6,000.

But Mrs Grantham is undeterred. "It will happen.

"You have to think positively and once it sinks into people's minds that we are having another big surge, we will start to get money coming in.

"It desperately needs rewiring and the kitchen is wearing out - we need a new cooker and the cupboards need replacing. We also want a room divider. We had an estimate recently which came in at £100,000.

"The floor is starting to wear and will need replacing but that will come on top of the £100,000. We need to do the essential things first. If it was an ideal world and we had a bottomless pit, we would have everything done.

"St Andrew's is very much a support for the Abbey but we do not get finance from the Abbey. We have to make our own money."

Recent applications for grants have drawn a blank. "I think it is because they think it is a church," said Mrs Grantham. "But we are not a church."

She has a number of fund-raising ideas waiting to burst into life. "We have just been donated a baby grand piano and we are hoping to put on some concerts. We are going to apply for two grants from the lottery and Wychavon District Council. We did a concert in the Abbey last year and I anticipate doing another one this year."

Donations from people will also play a big part, she said. "People keep coming up with £5 and £20. All these things build up and from little acorns grow mighty oaks. It will happen. Anything from £1 to £100,000 is all welcome. It all adds up.

"A lot of people who were married or christened in St Andrew's will want to donate money and I will be writing to people asking for donations.

"St Andrew's is a very valuable resource in Pershore and used by a lot of people."

Anyone who would like to donate money to the St Andrew's Appeal can send a cheque made payable to St Andrew's Parish Trust, the Appeal Office, The Vicarage, Church Street, Pershore, or contact Mrs Grantham by calling 01386 553369.