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| Yarm Town Hall clock winder retires after 32 years | |
| (5 days later) | |
| Graham Tebbs said the clock was never slow, so people did not miss the bus | Graham Tebbs said the clock was never slow, so people did not miss the bus |
| A clock winder has retired after keeping time for a town since 1992. | A clock winder has retired after keeping time for a town since 1992. |
| Once a week, come rain or shine, 76-year-old Graham Tebbs would climb a ladder up to Yarm Town Hall clock and wind the mechanism manually. | Once a week, come rain or shine, 76-year-old Graham Tebbs would climb a ladder up to Yarm Town Hall clock and wind the mechanism manually. |
| He said he had "never forgotten in 32 years" and never thought "oh no I've got to do the clock". | He said he had "never forgotten in 32 years" and never thought "oh no I've got to do the clock". |
| The town council presented him with a letter of thanks, a £100 voucher and a framed picture of him inside the clock. | The town council presented him with a letter of thanks, a £100 voucher and a framed picture of him inside the clock. |
| Mr Tebbs revealed that he had given people a helping hand over the years with the clock's time. | Mr Tebbs revealed that he had given people a helping hand over the years with the clock's time. |
| "It was always either right or a little bit fast, half a minute or a minute. But never ever slow, never - in case people missed the bus." | "It was always either right or a little bit fast, half a minute or a minute. But never ever slow, never - in case people missed the bus." |
| Mr Tebbs said he had never forgotten to wind the clock | Mr Tebbs said he had never forgotten to wind the clock |
| He said he would listen to the radio or phone the speaking clock to get the correct time. | He said he would listen to the radio or phone the speaking clock to get the correct time. |
| Later he used a watch that received a signal from the atomic clock, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. | Later he used a watch that received a signal from the atomic clock, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. |
| He also recalled the clock stopping a few times during his tenure. | He also recalled the clock stopping a few times during his tenure. |
| "The pendulum snapped once, so I made a new spring out of an old saw and machined it in my workshop. | "The pendulum snapped once, so I made a new spring out of an old saw and machined it in my workshop. |
| "I think I charged the council £25. It lasted for years," he said. | "I think I charged the council £25. It lasted for years," he said. |
| "It stopped a time or two with the weather when the pointers froze, but I went down, warmed it up and gave it a bit of a shake." | "It stopped a time or two with the weather when the pointers froze, but I went down, warmed it up and gave it a bit of a shake." |
| Graham Tebbs maintained the Yarm Town Hall clock for more than three decades | Graham Tebbs maintained the Yarm Town Hall clock for more than three decades |
| During a council meeting in Mr Tebbs' honour, Councillor Barbara Wegg said: "He tells me he's enjoyed every second of doing it, and I thoroughly believe that. | During a council meeting in Mr Tebbs' honour, Councillor Barbara Wegg said: "He tells me he's enjoyed every second of doing it, and I thoroughly believe that. |
| "You were one of the most important people in Yarm, because everyone looks at that clock." | "You were one of the most important people in Yarm, because everyone looks at that clock." |
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