Two ladies with a head for heights took a ride in a mini cherry picker to brush away a church’s cobwebs.
Barbara Turner and Allyson Hanks volunteered to carry out the high-powered dusting job at St Martin’s Church, Caerphilly.
The church hired the mini cherry picker to clean the windows and by carrying out the work themselves they were able to keep costs down.
Mrs Turner said: “Many people thought we were mad, but I had already been up in a cherry picker to view the tiles on the church roof. The views of Caerphilly and the Churchyard were amazing.
“Before we boarded the work platform with our brushes and feather dusters we were issued with eye protection glasses and dust masks and given safety instructions such as not leaning over the side.
“We needed to take great care of the windows as they were so old, so only light dusting was done. The sills below were thick with years of dust so brushes were needed.
“We went up and down cleaning each pair of windows with the operator moving the machine and Allyson manoeuvring us up and down. We also dusted the walls and arches.
“The next day another team of volunteers arrived to clean the floors and furniture, replace the pews and chairs and polish and buff the floors. It was great to have so many people working together to get all the jobs done.
“What a privilege it was to have been the first people to reach this height in the church in decades and to enjoy a fantastic bird’s eye view of the church.”
The best way to do it, I always preferred working from a cherry picker over a ladder. Also the use of ladders is now restricted under the Working at Height regulations.
Well done to the church ladies who proved they are willing to ‘have a go’ to keep the lovely St. Martin’s church clean. No higher calling, it is God’s house after all!
” Nearer to Thee My Lord”