A vicar and celebrities are set to test their endurance with a 12-hour "preachathon" to raise money for new church bells at a Richmond church.

The vicar of St Mary Magdalene Parish Church, Reverend Robert Stanier, BBC presenter Sophie Raworth, media executive and football administrator Greg Dyke and others will attempt the speaking marathon from dawn to dusk on 22 September.

The Richmond Preachathon will see speakers discuss stories from the Bible and their relevance to daily life, with money raised going towards new bells at St Mary Magdalene Church and Richmond Soup Kitchen.

"I'm used to preaching for 12 minutes, but 12 hours will take me far beyond my comfort zone," Rev Stanier said.

For most of the event, the vicar will be preaching, but for 15 minutes each hour he will be joined in conversation by well-known local guests.

Programme includes:

• 9.15am: The Rev Joe Moore - Vicar of St John the Divine that hosts the Richmond Soup Kitchen
• 10.15am: Sophie Raworth - Journalist and presenter of flagship BBC News bulletins
• 11.15am: Anne Sebba- Renowned local author who finds drama in real life stories
• 12.15pm: The Rev Dr Giles Fraser - Vicar of St Anne's church, Kew and regular BBC broadcaster
• 1.15pm: Greg Dyke - Ex-head of the Football Association and regular Sky TV news commentator
• 2.15: Nancy Baldwin - Mayor of Richmond and campaigner for the people of the town
• 3.15pm: Students of Christ's School - An RE class asks the questions
• 4.15pm: Axel Scheffler - Illustrator of the Gruffalo books who will bring his paint brushes
• 5.15pm: Sarah Olney - MP for Richmond Park and champion for Richmond in Parliament

The bell ringers have so far raised more than £200,000 towards their target of £240,000 and are hoping people will sponsor their vicar via Crowdfunder to "secure ringing in Richmond for generations to come".

To learn more about the crowdfunder click here.

Timings and schedule may vary.

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