DEDICATED hard work from a small group of friends has been an 'absolute blessing' to the community.

A group called the Holy Mowers, made up of local men, was formed 20 years ago to tend to the graveyard and surrounding areas of St Andrew's Church, Whitchurch.

But it was after young cadets began to struggle in reading out names on Whitchurch's War Memorial last year that the group decided something had to be done to prevent the war dead from fading from memory, and for people to be able to spend time in the graveyard to visit those who had died.

The Holy Mowers set to work and began to clear years of grime from the memorial and to repaint the names of the men of Whitchurch who were killed during the First and Second World Wars.

And the group's efforts did not stop there. The team of six — David Squibb, Donald McNab, Rob Rawlings, Peter Heaton, Robert Clifford and Tim Clifford — decided to apply for a grant from the War Graves Commission. With the £750 they received, they undertook a complete restoration of the granite memorial cross and its surroundings in the churchyard.

No strangers to hard work, the group's volunteers have spent months tending to the area and finally the memorial has been cleaned and the names repainted — all in time for the Remembrance Day service.

Holy Mower Donald McNab, who served with the Black Watch, followed by 17 years with the Royal Marines' reserves, said: 'The site was horrendous — you couldn't even read the names on the war memorial, it was horrible. But we all worked hard on the site every Saturday for two hours and cleared it of weeds, rocks and old tree roots.'

The Rev Sean Brassil from St Andrew's Church said: 'The Holy Mowers are amazing and they do far more than mow, they maintain the churchyard so that relatives can enjoy the area and they keep it neat and tidy.

'They are awesome and we are so proud of them and grateful for what they do. They are an absolute blessing to us and the community.'

Donald added that the group needed more people to help and give the team an extra pair of hands. Anyone who wishes to volunteer their time can call David Squibb on 01822 613326.

Donald added that the Holy Mowers aren't all 'church-goers' but give their time for the good of the community: 'Most of us don't attend church but we felt the churchyard and war memorial needed attention.

'We give our services for free — but I hope the vicar might buy us a pint.'

To which Mr Brassil replied: 'I would be delighted to do so.'