MEMBERS of a Wherwell project are celebrating a £9,000 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant to help restore the village church’s clock.

The project team comprises members of the Wherwell PCC, teachers and pupils from the village primary school and members of the local history group.

The grant, awarded through HLF’s Sharing Heritage programme, will be used to part-fund the restoration of St Peter and Holy Cross Church’s tower clock movement and replacement of the auto-winding system.

The grant will also fund a project involving 33 pupils from Years 5 and 6 of Wherwell Primary School, with support from teachers and members of the local history group.

During the project the children will learn about the history of the church and clock, as well as researching the physical fabric of the church, its place in a changing community and the technical aspects of the clock itself.

Additionally Jan Smith, former county archivist for Hampshire and a local resident, has agreed to help the pupils develop research skills.

The hourly and quarterly striking clock was installed in 1911 to celebrate the coronation of George V.

It was hand-wound until the auto-winding system was installed in 1965.

This is the second phase of the clock restoration, the first being the restoration and re-gilding of the clock face in 2011, when major work was carried out on the nave roof and spire, also in part funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

A further £3,500 of funding has been provided by the Church Building Council.

The restoration work will be undertaken early next year by the Cumbria Clock Company.

Andy King, head teacher of Wherwell Primary School, said: “I see this as an exciting opportunity to engage the children in a project that will take them on an expansive learning journey, but yet is grounded in a tangible piece of their local heritage.”