A new memorial for the victims of the devastating Swiss Air Disaster could be installed at a Congresbury churchyard.

The church and graveyard project group, set up to pull together a series of improvements at St Andrew's Church in the village, is considering erecting a memorial to the 20 people from Congresbury who died in the disaster in April 1973.

Five members of the Gill family from the village lost their lives when the plane they were travelling on crashed into a hill at Basle, Switzerland, during a snowstorm, killing 108 people. Most of the victims were mothers from the town of Axbridge and the villages of Cheddar, Yatton and Congresbury.

A sundial memorial was erected in the village on the green at Chestnut Close following the tragedy.

The sundial dated back to the 17th century and was donated to the village after the disaster. But after just a couple of years it was stolen and only the base remains.

Now members of the project group are canvassing local opinion to see whether there is support for a new memorial in the village.

Project group member Chris Short said the idea for a new memorial was put forward by a villager.

He said: "I am interested to see whether there is support for this idea and if so, we can move it forward and look at ways of funding a new memorial."

The project group has already drawn up an action plan for ways to improve the village graveyard and hopes to start implementing some of the ideas later this year. Anyone who wants to support the idea for a new memorial can email Mr Short at chriscongar@hotmail.com.