THREE members of Great Malvern Priory have been creative with the timbers which were removed from the old Priory floor.

Richard Evans, Laurence Oldfield and Philippa Lowe have handcrafted beautiful mementoes, from dice, to candle holders, coasters to crosses.

Miniature nativities have been crafted into acorn caps from the churchyard and pistachio nutshells are mounted on Priory oak plinths.

Mr Evans said: “The oak we’ve been working with is about 250 years old.

“Removing the nails from the timber was a big job to begin with. I then drew the designs onto the oak by hand, cutting them out with a saw and creating the cross with a file.”

The old wood was taken up by contractors during months of building work. The Priory was closed for morning services while builders removed the Victorian floor pew plinths which had been a trip hazard since the platforms were installed in the 1860s. They created a flat nave surface in the main area of the nave floor and installed eco-friendly under floor heating.

The crafts are now on sale in the Friends’ Priory Shop in the Priory and will be available while stocks last.

Mr Evans said: “Every penny goes towards the cost of laying the new floor.

“There’s been a lot of interest – we’ve raised more than £1,600.”

 The mementoes were sold after the 10.30am Priory service and they have had orders for Mr Evans’s crosses from America.