A WORCESTER policeman for 30 years always found the chimes of a church clock very comforting when he was a bobby on the beat in the early hours.

So when St George’s Church in Barbourne launched its Just a Minute appeal to repair the broken clock, Oliver Barton wanted to help get this “friendly” Victorian landmark working again.

The 88-year-old, who was a police constable in Worcester from 1947 until he retired in 1976, said: “Even now I still miss the church chimes when I go to the doctor’s opposite St George’s Square.”

Experts have told the parochial church council that the 1830 clock, which stopped a year ago, needs £15,000 for a complete overhaul, the face re-gilded and an automatic winding and auto-regulation system installed.

Already the Friends of St George’s have raised £6,500 from individual donations, grants and through the Just a Minute idea, which asks people to sponsor a minute on the clock for a minimum donation of £10.

Mr Barton, of Albert Road, Worcester, has chosen 23.59 as his minute.

“The beat from the city centre to St George’s and St Stephen’s, which took in Pitchcroft and the area down to the canal, was one of the quietest in Worcester,” said Mr Barton, who has three children, ten grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

“While I was on patrol it was a comfort to hear it strike in the early hours. To me it has always been a friendly clock.”

Michael Silvey, the chairman of the friends group, who are organising the appeal, thanked Mr Barton for his kind gift, adding: “We want people to select a memorable time in their lives and tell us in no more than 100 words why that minute means so much to them.”

The church is planning to produce a large book about the project including each story and the name of the sender, as well as publish the stories at friendsofstgeorges.co.uk

For more details or to sponsor a minute with a story of no more than 100 words: write to the treasurer, 2 Ogilvy Square, Worcester, WR3 7LU making cheques payable to The Friends of Saint George’s Church; email justaminute@friendsofstgeorges.co.uk; or visit friendsofstgeorges.vaporum.com