ACCRINGTON and Rossendale College is throwing its weight behind our Aspire appeal to save the Accrington Pals Memorial Chapel housed in the historic and beautiful St John’s Church.

Construction students could do a lot of the repair work needed, thereby cutting the cost of the scheme.

Four representatives of the church met college department heads to show them the interior of the church and discuss how they could help.

Appeal co-ordinator Karen Smyth said afterwards: "The meeting was very fruitful and enjoyable. We gave a general overview of the state of the church and of the campaign so far and then we broke up into groups to discuss the different areas in which the college could help.

"Lots of excellent suggestions were made and we feel confident that we can all work together to achieve benefits for the college students, the community and the church."

A college spokesman added: "We are thrilled to be supporting the Pals Chapel and St John’s Church as it is a cause very close to many of our hearts.

"We saw that there were a number of interior jobs that our construction students could get involved with, which would not only give them valuable real-life experience but would also make a big difference to the community.

"Our media students will also get the chance to be involved as we are hoping that they can produce a Pals DVD which could be sold to raise much-needed funds.

"Finally, our marketing team is giving support and guidance to help raise the profile of the cause even more.’’