Heywood’s clock tower saved thanks to Crown Oil £8,000 donation

St Luke’s Parish Church, Heywood

Heywood’s St Luke’s Church has been left a legacy to repoint the church steeple. However, during the renovation process, several issues became apparent with the town’s clock, costing a total of £30,000 in repair costs.

In response, the church launched an urgent campaign, in the hope that the people of Heywood would come forward and help. Fundraising began with a £5,000 grant offered by Heywood Township, and the generosity shortly followed from local organisations and people, including those who now live elsewhere but have historical links back to Heywood.

With the influx of donations, the decision was made to start work on the clock. But funding soon slowed, leading the church to ask for one final Christmas gift to help them reach the total. What followed was an unexpected phone call from Bury-based fuel supplier Crown Oil to the treasurer, delivering a much-needed Christmas miracle, filling the final gap in funding.

The Heap Bridge business, part of the £850m-turnover of Crown Oil family of companies, is well known in the community for supporting local businesses and charities. With its roots still firmly in the area, the family-run firm is now in its third generation of the Greensmiths and celebrated its 75th birthday earlier this year.

Crown Oil’s managing director Matthew Greensmith said: “At Crown Oil we feel really strongly about supporting those in need. With the cost-of-living crisis and the struggles of winter for many, we’ve dug deep this December to help local businesses and charities in any way we can.”

Allison Bamford, St Luke’s Church treasurer said: “It cannot be put into words how grateful the church is to have reached our total of £30,000 with the knowledge that the clock will be fully restored, so it can watch over our beloved town for years to come.”

Originally, St Luke’s Church was built by donations from Heywood town. This inspired the current campaign to fund the project by donations from local people and businesses in memory of Queen Elizabeth II. A plaque will be erected on the tower to reflect this continuation of the generosity of the town.

With the funding now complete, the church will create a lasting memorial to Queen Elizabeth II alongside a plaque to recognise the much-needed donations from the town.