Campaigners bidding to save a historic Scots church from ruin have launched a fundraising “Buy a Brick” scheme as they step up their effort to secure the building’s future.

The 100 Days to Save Coats Memorial campaign has teamed up with pupils from Castlehead High School to launch the project they hope could raise up to £50,000 for their cause.

Built in the Gothic revival, the Thomas Coats Memorial Church has been part of Paisley’s skyline since its construction in 1885 – and with its striking 200ft crown steeple, is sometimes referred to as the “exclamation mark” on the town’s horizon.

Its features also include a vaulted ceiling, mosaics, stencilled decorations and carved marble font and pulpit, while a rare 3,040 pipe organ, designed by Lincolnshire organ builder William Hill & Sons, has remained unaltered since it was installed in 1890.

But the building is now empty and disused.

On February 1, a group of local campaigners launched the 100 Days effort, aiming to make Coats Memorial a venue to stand comparison with the likes of Glasgow’s Oran Mor and Edinburgh’s Mansfield Traquair, while preserving its history.

The steering group is aiming to raise £1.5 million in 100 days for its preservation and return to use as a multi-purpose venue hosting theatre, opera, ballet, pantomimes, rock concerts, folk music, weddings and other functions.

They have now announced the “Buy a Brick” initiative which will see students from the school lend their time and skills to create 500 engraved plaques which will be available to the public to buy for £100 each. 

The plaques will be mounted on the entrance wall within the church building where they will stay, commemorating the many people who donated their time and money to save it.

Ian Henderson, a Coats Memorial Steering Group member, said: “I am proud to be in a position to work with the students from Castlehead High School on this campaign. Coats Memorial is a church that was created to enhance our community. 

Thousands of people have passed through its doors to celebrate life’s biggest events and we hope it can continue to serve as community space for everyone to enjoy.”

The campaign has already raised more than £34,000 in just 27 days and the “Buy a Brick” project is one of many initiatives that the Steering Group has planned in order to make the fundraising goal a reality.

Thomas Coats and his family have longstanding links with Paisley. The philanthropist and founder of J&P Coats, the cotton thread and zip and fastener manufacturing firm which is intrinsically linked with the history of the town, at one stage employed 10,000 people.

The entrepreneur ran his thread works in Ferguslie and he and his wife raised 11 children in Ferguslie House. He had been involved in the restoration of Paisley Abbey and funded other projects in the town.