Often there is more detail with the error number 1004 - could we have
that please?

It's very likely a compatibility  problem and the first thing I would
investigate (on an Excel97 machine) is removing the dot in the sheet
name and the code. The next thing would be to simplify the range to
say Worksheets("C.Gibbs").Range("c8:h14") and see if the code still
trips up.

ClearContents does exist in XL97 by the way.

The exact error message read "Clearcontents method of range class
failed".

I've tried removing the dot from the macro & sheet name, and
simplyfying the range element but unfortunatley the same error still
persists.....

try changing .clearcontents to .select and see if it still trips up.
Probably best to step through the code with F8. The implication in the
error message is that there IS a problem with ClearContents.

None of those cells is protected it it? I get error 1004 if they are,
but excel2003 reports that fact along with the error number - maybe
xl97 isn't so explanatory..

while trying the ".select" option you
mentioned, I worked out that the reason for the error seemed to be
that there was no data for the macro to delete. This didnt seem to
cause a problem in 2002, but 97 wouldn't run it if there wasnt any
data to delete!