Renewing Hope with snippets of good news

We begin with this story of a peronal achievement from our only Devon Parish.

Jean Ransford from Hawkchurch, always altered the church clock for summer and autumn time with her husband Neil.

"This is a job for 2 people," she said, "One behind the clock moving the hands, and another outside shouting if the time is correct."

After Neil's death, the clock was one job Jean worried about. But she thought, as the clocks went forward this weekend, she would rise to the challenge and do the job on her own.

After a lot of running up and down the stairs in the church, she not only got the correct time, but the clock was running in the correct direction.

She said that "Neil would be so proud of me!"

And over at our Cathedral, there is news on the peregrines.

The peregrine female has been hard at work and there is a fourth egg. Experts think she may be incubating now - this doesn’t start until the last egg is laid, but given that a normal clutch is around 3-4, it is highly likely that she has started. Incubating takes around 29-30 days, which would mean chicks in early May.

There are pictures of the fourth egg here

Phil Sheldrake, Salisbury Cathedral Nature Conservation Adviser said:

"Peregrines do sometimes lay 5, or more rarely 6 eggs. We are hoping it’ll only be 4 just for the sake of the female. Incubating more than 4 can be a challenge and often an egg can be left uncovered. It’s also a lot of mouths to feed if they eventually hatch. Once the female settles to incubate, the male will do most of the hunting and assist with egg sitting.”

Do send us your good news stories and we will cheer people up with a little bit of good news.