A Marathon Bible reading at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford was approaching is conclusion last night (28/05/08).
The round-the-clock reading is held 20 years after the last, with money being raised to help with the £3.5 million restoration of the historic church – the next stage which includes the 'makeover' of Shakespeare's tomb.
Actor and Clifford Chambers resident Jeffery Dench, brother of Judy, began the marathon on Sunday evening and was there again on Tuesday morning. "I am very happy to be taking part." he said.
"It is great fun but you have to check some of the names before you start – some of them are not easy! It is good that the King James Bible is being used though as it is what Shakespeare himself would have read."
Asked about the restoration, he said: 'The church needs a lot of work done to it, you can see where the roof fell through (in March). It needs a huge amount of money to do all the repairs that are needed."
Mr Dench read the first seven chapters and two verses of Genesis on Sunday before handing over to local historian Freda Kitcher.
More than 100 volunteers have since been reading in 15-minute intervals, day and night. to keep the reading going continuously. Donations for the restoration are being collected in a jar as it takes place.
Money is still needed for the next major work at Holy Trinity to go ahead – a £307,000 repair job on the clerestory windows, which remain in very poor condition. On 28/5/08 the BBC reported on the ongoing work. focusing on the curse surrounding Shakespeare's grave – supposed to ward-off the moving of his bones.
The vicar, the Rev Martin Gorick, said: "The gravestone is crumbling to some extent and we want to consolidate that, and do some improvements around the grave so it lasts longer.
"We are actually conserving the gravestone, so it should be a blessing rather than a curse."
Although this week's Bible marathon is chiefly a money-raising exercise for the 800-year-old church, parishioner and organiser Tim Raistrick said: "My reason for doing it springs far more from the memories I have of how powerful an event it was in 1988."
The curse, 'Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he who moves my bones' was a common entreaty at a time when lack of space in churchyards meant graves had to be reused with the bones of earlier occupants being transferred to a chancel house.

James Cracknell
Stratford-upon-Avon Herald
29th May 2008

To date the Bible Marathon has raised £2,250