Midsomer Norton river railings paintwork complete

The 143-year-old railings in Midsomer Norton High Street are gleaming again, thanks to 12 weeks' hard graft by Midsomer Norton Society members, supported by Community Payback.

The railings, which run alongside the river, are one of the towns most recognisable historical features. They were made by Evans foundry in Paulton and installed in 1866 at a cost of £175.

In January, the Midsomer Norton Society decided to do something about the rails since, over the years, they had fallen into disrepair.

The group, who took on the task of wire brushing and giving the 100 posts and rails three coats of paint, also paid for the project.

In 1879 it cost £3 – in 2009 it has cost the society £1,200 in materials alone including 30 wire brushes, 40 paint brushes and 60 litres of paint.

Society secretary Paul Myers said: "As well as society volunteers, our partnership with Community payback, thanks to Bath and North East Somerset Council, has been marvellous and created a community project team who have given up their Sundays for weeks to get the job done.

"Passers-by have given encouragement along the way and local business Jacarandas has regularly handed out coffee and cake to keep us going.

"When the last bit of gold paint went on, it felt like we'd conquered Everest."