A WEST Devon church will be among more than 100 across the country hosting a Midsummer Tea Party this weekend, inviting visitors to drink tea, eat cake and save churches.

St Michael and All Angels Church in Princetown will be holding the summer tea party to allow people to explore the building and find out how it can be saved for the future.

The aim of Midsummer Tea Party is to encourage everyone, of any faith or none, to discover and explore the historic church buildings and learn how they can be saved for future generations by bringing them back into everyday use.

Examples range from circus schools and theatres to community centres and nurseries.

The churches involved in the tea party are no longer used for regular worship but are all classified as having exceptional national historic significance.

St Michael and All Angels is the only church in the country to have been built by prisoners of war. It was constructed between 1810 and 1814 by prisoners from the Napoleonic and American wars, detained at Dartmoor Prison.

Loyd Grossman, chairman of Churches Conservation Trust, said: 'We want people to give in to cake temptation and head down to their local Midsummer Tea Party to find out why historic churches rock and how they can be enjoyed today.

'From rehearsal spaces for bands to places for quiet contemplation — these remarkable buildings are here for everyone's benefit.'

Money raised through Midsummer Tea Parties will go towards the upkeep of each church, and the Churches Conservation Trust's conservation and regeneration projects across England to enable contemporary use.

The St Michael and All Angels tea party is this Sunday.

It is free and suitable for all ages. Experts will be available to bring the history of the buildings to life.

Visitors are asked to contribute to the tea and cake.