TWO churches in West Devon are looking for more volunteers to keep doors open for visitors to enjoy these splendid buildings and places of worship.

This week, the Churches Conservation Trust launched its Open Churches Policy which aims to increase public access to more than 340 of England's historic churches by summer 2014.

Included in its list are the Church of St Michael and All Angels, Princetown and St Nonna's Church in Bradstone.

The trust, which is the national charity protecting historic churches at risk, is seeking volunteers in West Devon to help keep open their churches to the public during day light hours all year round.

The CTT needs communities and volunteer groups near to the churches which remain closed to come forward and show their support.

The trust will then work with them to decide on whether to leave the church open at all times, nominate a volunteer key holder team to be responsible for opening and closing it every day, or fit an automatic time lock.

The Church of St Michael and All Angels at Princetown is open between 10am and 4pm daily. Its vicar, the Rev Prebendary Nick Shutt, said that its present volunteers were doing an excellent job but where volunteers were concerned, it was a case of 'the more the merrier'.

He said: 'Although the church has not been in commission since around 2000, it is still an important part of the community.

'It is used for weddings, special services, burials and recently we had the Exeter Cathedral Choir performing evensong there.

'Later this year we will see American visitors going there to mark the 200th anniversary of the American prisoners at Dartmoor who helped build it. It is still very much an important element in the life of Princetown.'

The trust is also seeking volunteers in the 12th century St Nonna's Bradstone, near Milton Abbot.

The church itself is on an ancient route to Cornwall.

Warin Kelly, a churchwarden, said: 'It is kept open and is very popular with visitors and especially bellringers who enjoy going there.

'It's a beautiful, peaceful church with lovely surroundings that people love to visit.'

If you would like to volunteer to help keep these churches open, go to the website http://www.visitchurches.org.uk/openchurches">www.visitchurches.org.uk/openchurches