Once again the clock in the Market House, is not working.

Local resident Margaret Wilce asked Ross Town Council to investigate why the Market House clock did not appear to be working at their meeting on Monday, June 11th.

She said a lot of money had been spent getting the clock repaired. She asked if the repairers should be asked to come back to ensure the clock kept working.

The Town Clerk explained that it was not a matter of the clock not working but that it needed to be kept wound up. Until recently a volunteer has kept the clock wound up by letting himself into the Market House Visitor Centre on his way to work.

The clock can only be reached by climbing a ladder into the attic above Ross Visitor Centre. Turning the two-foot, solid metal arm to wind the clock is a heavy manual task that takes several minutes. Staff at the Visitor Centre became concerned about health and safety issues regarding the volunteer being alone in the Centre.

The current volunteer works outside the hours the Heritage Centre is open and therefore cannot carry on with his task.

The Ross Gazette asked a member of the Visitor Centre staff for permission to see the mechanism and photograph it so that readers could see exactly what the task involves.

The member of staff refused and directed all enquiries to Herefordshire Council.

Once again the Gazette made a proposal to visit the Heritage Centre and see why it is such a difficult job that should not be carried out by a lone volunteer.

Herefordshire Council responded with the following statement:?"The council has been concerned about the health and safety and security issues around the volunteer [winding the clock] when there are no members of our staff around. As a result, the council requested that the task only be performed when a member of staff is in the building and when the centre isn't open to the public.

"The council is exploring other options, and hopes to have the clock working again in the near future."

Many residents feel that having a stopped clock on such an iconic building as the Market House is making the town a laughing stock. They are concerned that visitors will feel it reflects a lack of concern for the town.

As we went to press the clock was still giving the time as 18 minutes past 11. Perhaps a volunteer will come forward to offer to wind the clock during Visitor Centre Opening Hours but until then the time will only be correct twice a day.