Volunteers from around the UK have embarked on a unique project: using quilts to wrap a Grade I-listed church in a "giant hug".

Congregants and friends of St Andrew's Church in Little Massingham, Norfolk, are on a mission to raise over £122,000 for repairs after lead theft from the church's roof in 2017. In pursuit of this goal, they've partnered with Quilts for Care Leavers (QCL) to adorn the church with quilts following an exhibition in May.

Rosemary Jewers, part of the church group, has been astounded by the widespread support. She told BBC News: "So many people have volunteered... and they've come from around the whole of the UK... which is just unbelievable."

The initiative, dubbed 'Let's give a giant hug,' began in collaboration with QCL last year. This charity, founded in 2018, provides "quilted hugs" to young adults aged 16 to 25 transitioning to independent living after leaving the care system.

Jewers shared her long-held vision for the church's promotion with the news outlet: "I had an idea to highlight the church that I had been mulling around for many years in my head but then I thought maybe we could surround the church with quilts."

The project has seen volunteers from across the UK - including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and every county in England - contributing quilts or quilt sections.

These quilts will be showcased at an exhibition at St Andrew's Church from 10th to 12th May before being wrapped around the building on 13th May.