A broken church tower clock dating back to the 1880s is ticking again thanks to community fundraising.

The clock at Abbey Church in Highbridge Street stopped at 8.55 just before Christmas 2013, disabling its famous 15-minute chimes which had been heard for generations in Waltham Abbey.

The church said at the time all three of the clock's automatic winding units had to be replaced at a cost of nearly £10,000 and were struggling to raise the funds themselves.

But thanks to grants, local fundraising and individual donations over the past year the church raised all but £827 of the cost, allowing work to finally get started this week.

The repairs were taken on by the Cumbria Clock Company which started on Monday morning and were completed successfully last night (March 4).

Richard Walters, church warden, said: “We have had individual gifts, donations from organisations, Easter Egg Hunts, the Waltham Abbey Beavers raised £600 from a sponsored walk - it's been a fantastic response.

"All we at the Abbey Church acknowledge the great and generous support of the community to do this. It is a positive example of the community working together.”

Waltham Abbey Town Council contributed to the restoration of the clock with a grant of £1,000 which was matched by a donation from the town’s mayor, Ann Mitchell MBE from her charitable fund.

The Mayor said: “The clock is very old so to have it working again is absolutely wonderful.

“Anything we as a council could do, we tried our best, worked as a team and were delighted to assist to get our clock working again.

“For over a hundred years this clock has been a symbol for all the people of Waltham Abbey for the time to get up, go to work, and time to go to sleep at the end of the day.

“In the digital age, with computers and mobile phones we may lose some of this connection, but it is still there and it is simply lovely to have it back.”

Barry Fisher, 67, has been a bell ringer at the church since 1987, was involved in the restoration project.

He said: "If the wind is in the right direction I can hear the chimes from my home in Honey Lane.

"To look at the pendulum is wonderfully soporific, it is mesmerising.

"We have always wanted to keep the old equipment and to preserve it.

"The repairs will stop us having to adjust the time manually, where it used to gradually slow down. Hopefully we won't have to fix it again for a long time."

There will be further fundraising events in April to raise the rest of the shortfall.