The future of St Peter’s Church as a tourist attraction is in jeopardy because of a lack of funds.

The historic church — the oldest surviving Anglican church in continuous use outside the UK — needs a budget in excess of $100,000 if it is to keep its doors open to visitors in the coming year.

In the past funding for the St George’s landmark has come from visitor donations and a grant of just under $50,000 a year from Government’s Department of Tourism, which has now been replaced by the independent Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA).

The church applied to the authority earlier this year for a $70,000 supplement to cover the cost of upkeep, maintenance, visitor brochures and guides who work to keep the church open seven days a week.

The BTA replied that it would provide a grant that matched the value of donations made by visitors. And with those donations typically amounting to less than $40,000 a year, the church is facing a major cash shortfall.

Church warden Henry Hayward said that more than 70,000 tourists visit St Peter’s every year and it was very much the jewel in the town’s World Heritage Status crown.

He said church officials were now considering ways in which to raise more money.

“It’s a very old building and with all these visitors coming through every year, it’s very costly to maintain,” he said.

He said that while a collection box was prominently placed in the church, donations did not cover the cost of tourism-related expenses such as brochures.

“The church is open seven days a week because it’s why so many people come to Bermuda and St George’s,” Mr Hayward explained.

“But being a popular attraction brings additional costs, such as security, office assistants, brochures. The donations have never covered those additional expenses which is why, in the past, we have gone to Government for help. We can’t rely on donations alone.”

Mr Hayward said the church had been used as a selling point by the Department of Tourism in the past, which justified the grant.

He claimed that the previous government had neglected the town and that the One Bermuda Alliance administration had pledged to rejuvenate the east end.

“This is not a good start,” Mr Hayward said.

“We have talked about fundraising, although we won’t approach the Corporation of St George’s because they have their own financial problems. In past years we have considered an appeal to keep the church open. We have to do something — I don’t want to think what will happen if we don’t.”

The BTA, which is currently funded by Government, invited businesses and organisations to submit requests for “tourism experiences investment” earlier this year.

Yesterday a BTA spokesman said: “On March 21, letters were sent to those who applied for a Product and Experience grant from the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

“We looked to invest in events and experiences that drive visitors to Bermuda and/or raise awareness of Bermuda, are in alignment with the Bermuda National Tourism Plan, demonstrate a significant impact on our tourism product, and promote the fundamental objectives of the Bermuda Tourism Authority

“While some requests were approved as submitted, others will have received a counter offer based on BTA’s investment objectives, while the remaining submissions were not successful.

“Once this process has concluded, and all acceptances have had their contracts executed, BTA will practice full transparency by posting recipient information on our website.”