A church is appealing for people to give their views on how the building which dates back nearly 1,000 years can be brought into the 21st century.

St Michael's Church in Malton is often refereed to as the 'church in the Market Place' and was first established in Norman times.

The church community is now considering how to make more use of the building give it a bright and sustainable future.

John Patten the project leader, said the building was currently badly in need of internal repairs to the south windows, work which will require the closure of the building for a while.

"This has created the opportunity for other improvements to be made at the same time.

"We need to get this right and provide a building fit for the future, so we are going to seek the views of the local visitors and community as well as our parishioners. The church is for everyone."

Ideas being considered include how to improve the entrance area to provide better level access without the need for heavy doors perhaps by providing glass sliding ones instead

"In addition, we are exploring how to improve the heating inside the church to minimize the use of fossil fuel by employing solar panels and heat pumps.

" This would mean removing the old radiators and installing underfloor heating."

A new lighting scheme is under consideration for the building making use of the latest low energy technology which can be controlled better and more flexibly for different needs.

There are also plans being considered to make the interior more flexible in the nave, the main part of the church, so that different types of services can be held, and local community groups can take advantage of the warmer lighter area.

Glyn Diggins, vicar of St Michael's Church, said: "This is a really exciting project which will help develop the mission of the church and involvement of the local community."

The earliest record of St Michael’s Church is around 1150 AD when the Gilbertine Priory of Old Malton was given two new Norman Churches of St Michael & St Leonard in ‘New’ Malton as Chapels of Ease.

Throughout the history of St Michael’s there have been several stages of reconstruction and restoration, however parts of the original Norman building do remain, notable the pillars and the capitals of the North Aisle and the capitals of the pillars in the South Aisle. The Font is of unusual design and is probably as old as the church. Small traces of colour show that in medieval times it had been painted.

Glyn Diggins, vicar of St Michael's Church, said: "This is a really exciting project which will help develop the mission of the church and involvement of the local community."

Anyone who would like to get involved should email maltonbenefice@yahoo.com