TIME is being turned into money by villagers at Great Wishford in a bid to fund repairs to their church clock.

The enterprising fundraisers are running a sweepstake, in which they are selling off the minutes of a 24-hour clock a moneyspinner that they hope will net them more than £1,000.

A total of 1400 minutes are up for grabs at £1 a time and the person buying the winning ticket will pocket £200. There is a second prize of £75 and a third place payout of £25.

Local landowner the Earl of Pembroke has pre-selected the winning minutes and they have been written down and secreted away until the day of the draw.

The clock on the tower of St Giles' Church at Great Wishford the village famed for its annual Oak Apple Day celebrations has been out of order since it broke down two years ago.

And villagers have been striving to raise the £9,500 to get it going again.

Member of the fundraising committee Diana Ridgley, who came up with the minutes sweepstake idea, said: "The clock dates back to about 1880 and it is the village timepiece. It's an important part of our lives and we are looking forward to hearing it chime again.

"We have already raised a lot of the money after sending out a letter to every householder in the village, inviting them to make a donation. Now we are making the final push with this sweepstake, which we hope will bring in another £1000.

"We have arranged to send off the clock to the Cumbria Clock Company and hope to have it back and in running order again in September, when we will be making the draw.

"The winning minutes chosen by the Earl of Pembroke are inside a sealed envelope and safely locked away in a drawer."

The sweepstake is open to all comers and if you would like to purchase a ticket or make a donation to the fund contact Mrs Ridgley on 01722 790259.