It's time to give church a hand (From Tewkesbury Admag)

It's time to give church a hand

BOURTON'S parish leaders have agreed a £250 grant in a bid to stop time standing still in the village.

Councillors have agreed to give the money to help fund repairs to the south and west sides St Lawrence's Church clock, which stopped working about two months ago.

Bourton's vicar, the Rev Edward Tufnell, requested the financial help, because having recently funded repairs to the church's roof the parish could not afford the repairs, which are expected to cost about £4,000.

When fully operational the clock chimes every 15 minutes and plays a hymn tune every three hours.

Unfortunately, the mechanism became so rusty and dilapidated that the hands on the south side became stuck at noon and were disconnected.

Mr Tufnell said he hoped other parts of the community would help find money for the repairs. "I take the view that the clock is a feature of the village and is of benefit to everyone," he explained.