Harvest fair among needed repairs at St Mary's Anglican Church in Upokongaro on Sunday

Front from left: Layla Cameron, Sam Morahan, Rangimarie Peeti and AJ Tuuaga decorated the church. Back: Gay Bason and Lynne Gray are collecting produce. Photo / Stuart Munro

Sunday is Mother's Day, but it's also harvest festival day at St Mary's Anglican Church in Upokongaro.

Organiser Lynne Gray said it is not a fundraising event, but a thanksgiving one.

"Harvest festival, it's all about giving thanks for our harvest, everybody brings food and it all goes to City Mission Wanganui," she said.

"We've got some helpers here from the school next door, they always do something for us and today they're putting up displays in the church."

The students from Upokongaro School are putting up artwork displays and decorations from their work in the classroom.

Gray said the church would also welcome any contributions from visitors towards their target to carry out some much needed repairs.

"We need $200,000. We've got rotten boards all over the building and we haven't been up to the roof yet, but we suspect that might be leaking too," she said.

"We have a donation box at the back of the church and we're grateful for anything that goes in there because it is a large target."

St Mary's Anglican Church is the oldest of its kind still on its original foundations in Whanganui and has been sitting in its Upokongaro spot since 1877.

Gray said evaluations and reparations were an ongoing process.

She hoped for a decent turnout on Sunday.

"Well the church holds 100, that would be good, but unfortunately we don't get that many, probably 50. We get a good congregation when we do hold a service now," she said.

"There were times when the numbers dwindled, but it's getting better."