The mindless act of vandalism which stopped the Village Hall clock in its tracks has been put to rights. Overseeing the repairs to the clock he commissioned on behalf of the Village Hall for the Millennium, was none other than George Richman. Resident in Ickenham for over 40 years, George has devoted a lot of that time to clocks and the Village Hall.
His love of clocks started when he inherited one from an aunt and his engineering curiosity led him to determine to make one for himself. He made a very fine skeleton clock which won the silver medal at the 1980 Wembley Exhibition of Model Engineering. And so he went on to become a member of the British Horological Institute and since then has repaired hundreds of clocks from around Ickenham. 
Apart from the Village Hall clock, the two others we residents see most are on the Ickenham Library clock tower. These had been defunct for over 40 years when his friend Alan Woods suggested that George should do something about it. And of course he did, specifying and installing what was required, having recruited local artist Roy Lipscombe to repaint the dials.
George and his wife Joyce have enjoyed a long and active connection with the Village Hall. For 12 years they were respectively Chairman and Secretary and today hold the posts of Vice-Chairman and Membership Secretary. One of their most successful projects was the replacement of the roof – costing nearly £90,000. Much research and consultation was required since the timber frame is inadequate to support conventional tiles, demanding a special lightweight material to be researched, approved and installed. Thus the Village Hall continues to perform its vital function for the people of Ickenham and this was later recognised by the coveted award of the Swakeleys Shield during George’s tenure as Chairman.
The last word should go to the Hall’s present Chairman, Cavin Higgins, who says “George is a real gem and the perfect colleague to have by your side when running a facility as important to the community as the Village Hall. It’s difficult to imagine what we’d do without George and Joyce!”
