One of the last remaining synagogues in London's East End has launched a £23,000 fundraising appeal after being granted charitable status.

Surrounded on three sides by the East London Mosque, the 111-year-old Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue needs the money for a new roof and additional funds for other repairs.

Rothschild Bank has started the ball rolling with a £1,000 donation, but if significant funds are not forthcoming, the shul could face closure.

The granting of charitable status was the result of an application to the Charity Commission by Doreen Ross, who was married at the synagogue.

"Fieldgate Street Synagogue really is one of the last relics of the Jewish East End," she said. It attracted over 500 visitors, including school groups, last year.

Services are currently held monthly on Shabbat and on major festivals.

Mrs Ross said the leaky roof would not stop Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, "even if we have to put buckets out to catch the rain".