American's $100k gift to village

A RICH Texan petrol industry entrepreneur has donated $100,000 to save a church in the Haute-Garonne.

Locals in Aurignac could not believe their luck when the cheque arrived to contribute towards the cost of restoring the village's Eglise Saint Pierre.

The man, named in news reports by just his first name Michael, visited the region with his wife for a friend's wedding last year. They fell in love with the village and were disappointed to hear that the church was in desrepair, with a leaking roof.

During their visit, the couple mentioned that they would be interested in making a donation - but they did not specify the amount.

The cheque for $100,000 cleared earlier this month, and the not-for-profit association in charge of maintaining the church met last week to arrange for the repair works to begin.

Mayor Jean-Michel Losego said the donation was excellent news because Aurignac, like many small French villages, could not afford to make the repairs with municipal funds.