THE clock winders at St Audries Church have been given a rest thanks to a donation from the British Nuclear Group. The Hinkley Point A decommissioning site has given a grant towards the cost of installing an automated winding system, bringing to an end a 150-year tradition which saw volunteers climbing a steep, narrow staircase twice a week to wind the clock by hand. The donation came about after parishioner Dr Winifred Kingsbury wrote to the site asking for support. Local people and volunteer winders donated the remainder of the cost and permission was sought from the Diocese of Bath and Wells to make changes to the grade one listed building. It took David Jones, a church and public clock engineer from Coverack in Cornwall, about a week to fit the automatic winder. Sharon Stewart, information officer at Hinkley Point A decommissioning site, said: "We are delighted to have been able to offer a donation to the church. We are always keen to support projects in the local community." Mr Jones is pictured installing the winding mechanism watched by Ms Stewart.
