CAMPAIGNERS aiming to raise £15,000 to repair a Victorian Worcester clock have made good time after reaching their target in just ten months.
The Friends of St George’s charity group, who have been overseeing the restoration project of the historic St George’s Church clock in Barbourne, recently celebrated reaching their fund-raising target.
Last May, St George’s Parochial Church Council discovered the 24in, 1830 clock had stopped working and needed a complete overhaul.
The same month the church launched its ‘Just a Minute’ scheme, whereby people could sponsor a minimum of £10 for a particular time on the clock.
Each donor then had to say in no more than 100 words why that minute meant so much to them.
The appeal was boosted by a number of grants and also won £2,000 when it was named one of six finalists in the ‘Ecclesiastical and Church Times Fund-raising Idea of the Year’ contest – which attracted a record 424 entries from churches throughout the UK.
The campaign was also supported by former members of the church who had moved away from the area, the St George’s Square Residents’ Association and house builder McCarthy and Stone, who have built a new retirement development nearby.
During the campaign, the Bishop of Worcester, the Right Rev John Inge, chose 3pm as his minute because it was when his 51-year-old wife Denise lost her battle against cancer and 88-year-old Oliver Barton, of Albert Road, chose 11.59pm as his minute because that was the time he passed St George’s Church during his police beat in the early hours.
Professor Christine Skelton, who lives in Barbourne, picked 10.43am because that was when she heard the reason she was stuck on a stationary tube train was because the one in front had been hit by a terrorist attack on July 7, 2005.
The church is now planning to produce a book about the project including each story from everyone who sponsored.
Michael Silvey, chairman of the Friends of St George’s said: “It’s amazing to have raised so much so quickly. It’s been a real community effort and we want to thank all those who have been so generous.
“We’re now talking to contractors to arrange a date for the work on the clock to begin.”
Visit www.friendsofstgeorges.co.uk for more information.
