Sponsors sought to help fund recreation of Victorian clock at Great Malvern station.

The clock tower was part of the railway station's original Victorian design, but was dismantled some time in the 1950s after it was deemed unsafe.

Restoring the tower has long been a cherished aim of civic society members, and now the group has reached the point where it is appealing for sponsors to finance the work.

The project is being handled by Friends of Malvern's Railways, a sub-group of the civic society.

The estimated total cost of the project is in the region of £384,000 plus VAT, of which £100,000 has already been offered. Network Rail, owner of the national rail infrastructure, has undertaken a roof survey free of charge, and London Midland, which operates many of the trains visiting the station, has offered to manage the construction project.

Now the group has issued a list of components for the clock and the tower which they are hoping local residents, groups or businesses can sponsor.

Donors can spend as little as £10, which will buy one of the 310 roof slates needed for the project, or as much as £4,000, which will pay for the tower's top finial.

£1,000 will buy one of the four clock faces, or a more modest £150 will pay for one of the eight hour or minute hands needed.

The clock mechanism itself can be sponsored for a reasonable £330, while those with deeper pockets might want to spend from £1,000 to £1,450 on cast aluminium panels.

Denise Preston of the civic society said: "This is one of the biggest projects that Friends of Malvern's Railways has undertaken, and we hope that it will be well supported."

Sponsorship forms will be available on the society's website, and have this week been sent out to its members. Peter Clement, who chairs the rail group, is writing to businesses in the town asking for sponsorship.

If the project does not go ahead, sponsorship money will be returned. A plaque with the names of the main sponsors is planned for the waiting room at the station.