AFTER decades of use, the road sign at the junction of St Andrew’s Church in Great Fencote, near Kirkby Fleetham, finally gave into the elements.

It fell down more than seven years ago, but pieces were stored locally with the intention of repairs being carried out.

In the summer, parish councillor Gary Jones began a project to locate, repair, renovate and reinstall the vintage cast iron road sign into its original prominent position.

Funding was secured from the locality budget of North Yorkshire county councillor Annabel Wilkinson to repair the original cast iron finger signs and post at Prest Engineering, which agreed to complete the work at cost.

Once the post and signs were repaired, sandblasted and undercoated, the time-consuming task of hand painting each individual sign was finished by Cllr Jones.

The county council's highways contractor, Ringway services, agreed to reinstall the road sign free of charge as part of its commitment to social responsibility, and it now stands proudly at the entrance to Great Fencote.

Cllr Jones said he hoped the sign would stand "many years to come, directing cyclists and motorists through our parish".

"Thanks, must also go to David Robinson who helped the project by providing encouragement, transport and storage facilities, and to Simon Smith, for storing the sign for seven years, always in the hope that it would eventually be restored," he added.