INSTEAD of praying for pennies from heaven an Eastleigh congregation is hoping that a galaxy of stars might help to fill the church coffers.

Soccer ace David Beckham and his Spice Girl wife Victoria are among celebrities who have been asked to give the town's parish church of All Saints a financial hand.

And replacing the hard wooden Victorian seats, which can make worship more than a little uncomfortable, is one of the top priorities.

The Reverend Richard Davies said: "We want to move forward with a modest refurbishment programme.

"Part of this is to replace the hard wooden chairs which are uncomfortable for this day and age."

So hard are the current seats that some members of the congregation even bring their own cushions to services.

The vicar says: "We have 175 chairs and it will cost about £65 to replace each one. So you are talking about a lot of money."

After general maintenance costs and dues to the Church of England there is nothing left for such luxuries as comfortable seating.

But now the All Saints fundraising committee has decided to widen its nets by asking high-profile names like the Beckhams to back their appeal with a small donation.

Letters for support have also gone to Madonna, information technology entrepreneur Bill Gates and one of the best known Christians in showbiz, Sir Cliff Richard.

Traditional fundraising has come through summer events like church bazaars and appeals to the local business community.

But the fundraising committee, chaired by Sandra Skellen Jennings, decided on a star-spangled approach.

In the letter Sandra says: "All Saints Church, the parish church of Eastleigh, is a beautiful but large Edwardian church.

"We are delighted to have inherited such a beautiful building in which to conduct weddings and funerals, to host civic services and other events for the town and to hold our normal services of worship."

She adds: "We are, however, mindful of our responsibilities to maintain and service this building in order to preserve our heritage for future generations."

Mr Davies says that asking for celebrity support is a novel idea.

Although he is a Liverpool fan, the vicar will be delighted if All Saints nets some cash support from the Manchester United star. Especially if it makes the seating more comfortable for the Sunday "gate" at All Saints.