THE clock which has kept time above Arnside's promenade for half a century could be granted a new lease of life if a new sponsorship scheme gets off the ground.

The timepiece which has stood on the promenade since June, 1950, is becoming increasingly run down with the passage of time, prompting residents and councillors to take action.

Coun Dave Willacy of Arnside Parish Council said: "I remember the clock going up in the village as a boy.

It is the only timepiece we have and is a part of Arnside's history.

Some people even refer to it as the town hall clock.

Recently, when the clocks went back, one lady told us she had been an hour late for work because our clock had not been put back."

The stone plinth, which the clock stands on and was salvaged from a war-damaged house in London, has been eroded by sea air and, although the clock's mechanism still works, it is out of date.

Coun Willacy said: "If there is a power cut or the clocks change we are reliant upon the goodwill of a Milnthorpe resident who comes out to reset it free of charge but, if we could update it, the clock would automatically adjust itself."

The estimated cost of repairs and renovations is in excess of £2,000 but the parish council is hopeful that an individual, group or company will recognise the worth of the project and make a contribution.

"I think there would be an outcry if we allowed it to run down," said Coun Willacy.

The clock was dedicated to the Rev J.M.

Bamford, his wife and daughters, from the girls of the Oakfield School on Redhills Road for the work which the family did in the school before the Second World War.

Coun Willacy said: "I think the idea was to give the family something a bit more grand but the war came along and everything changed."