The Cross in Lights

It has taken three years to relight St Chad's Tower Cross after the bulbs began to fail. Revd Tim Stratford had only been instituted as Rector for a few weeks when the top section of the cross broke and it turned into an illuminated capital T. Many people thought he had done this on purpose because his name is Tim. A few weeks later the left hand arm failed and it looked like a giant no-right-turn sign. It had to be switched off until the light bulbs could be changed.

This turned out to be no easy feat. Several sorties up the tower revealed that the job was not a DIY one.

The Fire Brigade came to have a look at it but they didn't have equipment that could safely reach that high.

Never mind. The people of St Chad's were assured that the Royal Engineers could walk on air. They sent an officer to weigh the situation up. After a risk assessment it was decided that the job was too dangerous.

The Radio Merseyside A-Team were eventually to come up with an answer after sending the Fire Brigade to give a second opinion. When it comes to heights, BA Access Technical Services are your people. It took them four attemps but all of the light bulbs in St Chad's cross have been fixed. The photo (left) shows the work in progress.

Repair of the cross has highlighted a great deal of further work that needs to be done to the tower. The cost of repairing the cross is only the start. Much more now needs to be done.

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St Chad's Cross was made in Camel Lairds after an earlier installtion bit the dust. It is a fine piece of craftsmanship according to its repairers pictued above hanging precariously from the tower.

Everybody is hoping that the new light bulbs are made to last.

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The Kirkby Team Ministry is the style adopted by the Parochial Church Council of Kirkby which is an excepted charity serving the ecclesiastical parish of Kirkby in the Diocese of Liverpool as part of the Church of England.