A grade I listed 13th century church has been awarded funding to help carry out essential repair work.

St John the Baptist Church at Bressingham, which has been placed on the Historic England's at Risk Register, wants to carry out urgent work on badly leaking roofs and gutters to protect the early 16th century hammerbeam roof.

The initial funding of £28,900 has been granted through the National Lottery's Heritage Lottery Fund, which helps people across Britain explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about.

The small group of volunteers working on the project will submit full applications for the building repair works by the beginning of December to receive more funding, and if this is successful, the repairs and heritage activities, including open days with re-enactment performances, will start in 2017.

The repair work is part of a project which will aim to increase community engagement by setting up a village History Society to oversee a Graffiti Project and a research project based on the carved pew ends.

The projects will tell stories of everyday people such as the woodcarvers and graffiti inscribers, and to encourage a far wider group of people to engage with the church's heritage.

The church has 17th century stocks and a carved Jacobean pulpit.