A few days of midsummer madness struck West Malvern last week, with St James's church clock appearing to keep its own wacky version of double Summer Time. Although the blue-and-gold faces were showing the correct time, each hour the clock chimed one hour later - for example, at midday it struck one o'clock - which must have frightened a quite a few people into believing they had missed an appointment! The quarter-hours were similarly out of kilter, striking a quarter to the hour when it was only half past, and so on.

It all started when the honorary clockwinder, Roy Knightley, did his back, and was unable to wind the clock fully just before going on holiday, which led to the chime being out of sequence.

His deputy Bob Blackbourn who lives in Park Lane, well out of earshot of the clock chimes, was unaware of the problem: whenever he passed the clock it was of course showing the right time.

Eventually he learned of its odd chiming habits and on Tuesday he and son Matthew finally put matters to rights.

This involved taking the clock through eleven hours of striking all at once. "We thought people would think there was an invasion and would be calling out the Home Guard like they did in the wartime when the church bells rang!" said Bob.

West Malvern Cricket Club is planning another auction of promises on November 30.

The auction, to include also goods and cricket memorabilia, will be held at the Lyttelton Rooms in Great Malvern, with transport from West Malvern laid on by club members for those requiring it.

Anyone with items to be included in the auction should contact Bob Blackbourn on Malvern 564893.

This weekend will see the staging of the Three Counties Show, which had to be rescheduled from its usual June date due to the foot and mouth epidemic. An event of equal or even greater interest to West Malvern residents, however, is the Garden and Nature Club's annual show which will take place in the Village Hall tomorrow (Saturday). No entry form is needed - just turn up with your exhibits, which must be staged between 11am and 1.30pm. Schedules are available at the Post Office and Suite 193.

The hall will be closed for judging between 1.30 and 2.30 and will re-open to the public at 2.30pm, with presentation of the Anniversary Trophy for the most successful exhibitor taking place at 3.15pm.