A car park was opened in Headbourne Worthy recently after a nine-year campaign from a former church warden.

Brian Porter cut the ribbon to officially open the new car park on February 27 at St Swithun's Church after he identified the need for it in 2013.

Mr Porter, 87, said: “I saw a need for a car park when I was church warden. I had a stroke in 2015, so I handed over the work to my successor Gimma Macpherson. I was very proud to be asked to open the car park. It has 20 spaces.

“Before, we had to park across the road when we attended church. It was dangerous to cross, especially for older people.”

Mr Porter had become increasingly alarmed at the volume of traffic using London Road and the number of elderly people needing to cross from either the footway or the parking verge.

Hampshire Chronicle: First car into the car park

His practical vision was to fit a car park into the space between the ancient graveyard surrounding St Swithun’s and the new graveyard on the hillside.

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The final piece of the planning application was submitted to Winchester City Council in January 2019. Until that point there had been no fundraising. However, over the next year, large and small donations came from churchgoers and supporters.

A grant of £3000 was received from The All Churches Trust and Headbourne Worthy Parish Council successfully applied for a city council grant for £50,000.

Hampshire Chronicle: St Swithun's Church, Headbourne Worthy

Gimma Macpherson, church warden at St Swithun's Church, said: “There are so many folk who have contributed in ways great and small to this project, nursing it carefully to a sensitive and successful completion.

“We particularly want to acknowledge our gratitude to Howard Tissiman who project managed the venture superbly, Beverly Child who was a fount of knowledge having been one of the early team members working on the car park design, and Martin Macpherson who kept tabs on the finances in his usual calm and fastidious manner.

“We consider the venture a great success story for both St Swithun’s and the community of Headbourne Worthy and one that we are immensely proud to have achieved.”

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