Crumbling churches across the West Midlands are to benefit from more than £2 million of funding for repairs.

The money, from English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, will help repair churches such as St Peter and St Paul's in Aston, Birmingham, and St John the Baptist in Bromsgrove.

They are two of 28 Grade I and II-listed religious buildings in the region which will benefit from grants totalling £2,027,000. St Peter and St Paul's church has been given £56,000, while a £242,000 grant for the Grade II-listed St John the Baptist church means repair work can start on the building this summer.

In 2002, an appeal was launched to raise money to repair the knave roof, spire and pinnacle of the 12th century church and £312,000 was raised.

Appeal co-ordinator Jo Slade said they were now calling a halt to the fund raising and the money raised would fund the main repairs.