Bridlington's Priory Church appeals for public funding
A 12th Century East Yorkshire church is appealing for public donations after accumulating a deficit of £40,000.
The Priory Church of St Mary in Bridlington has made three out of its four members of staff redundant in an effort to cut costs.
The Grade I-listed building costs £400 a week to run.
The appeal, called Friends of Bridlington Priory, will be launched on Saturday during a Christmas carol concert.
The Reverend Adrian Cragg, rector of the priory, said the debt had grown over several years.
He said: "We want to take some significant action to prevent that [the deficit] increasing, and in fact reverse that process.
"And we want to do that before there is any significant deterioration."
Mr Cragg said the church was unable to seek funding from organisations such as the National Lottery, as it did not fund operating costs.
The church dates back to a monastery founded in 1113.
It was refurbished in 1874 by famed Victorian architect Sir George Gilbert Scott.