Leominster people have been given a rallying call to get behind the town's Millennium clock project.

Town councillor Molly Cooke, chair of Leominster Millennium Association, has appealed to townsfolk to give their financial backing to the £16,000 project, which has failed to gain Lottery support.

"We tried to get a grant from the Millennium Awards for All fund but failed because this is a capital project," said Mrs Cooke. "We have been given £5,000 by Leominster Town Council and I've approached the council to see if a further £5,000 could now be made available.

"If the clock is not commissioned soon, it will not be in situ by the end of 2000 and the whole point of a Millennium clock is that it should be installed this year."

The magnificent timepiece, which features two 'life-size' lions supporting a clock-face over a working replica of the town's ducking stool, will measure four metres by three metres. The face is 1.2m across.

"You can't buy something like this 'off the shelf' and each piece has to be individually crafted," said Mrs Cooke. "There's a lot of workmanship and planning."

Around £600 has already arrived in public subscriptions since Somerfield supermarket allowed Mrs Cooke to mount a display in a shop window in Black Swan Walk.

"We've had several donations of £10 and £15 but so far, although we have written 230 letters to local businesses, we've had just eight replies," said Mrs Cooke. "We've had a couple of £100 donations from a couple of the larger businesses but we're not looking for such a large commitment from the smaller shopkeepers. We'd be grateful for £10."

A grand draw and a quiz night are planned to raise funds but Mrs Cooke and her committee quickly need to reach a target of £8,000 so that work can begin.

Anyone who would like to make a donation should send a cheque made payable to Leominster Millennium Association to Molly Cooke, The Elms, Laundry Lane, Leominster HR6 8JT.