Restoring the Bells of St Mary’s
We have launched an appeal to raise £80,000 to keep the bells of St Mary’s ringing. Cast together as a set for the current church building in 1831, our eight bells have been a call to worship for nearly 200 years. They are a key part of our local heritage and are rung every Sunday, also for weddings and other special occasions. However, for this joyful practice to continue, a major overhaul of the bell mechanisms is urgently required.
What needs doing
The last major maintenance and refurbishment work on the bells was carried out 70 years ago. The fittings, which include the bearings, wheels, ropes and pulleys, degrade over time and now need to be replaced. The bells need to be removed from the tower, taken to a bell foundry for restoration and tuning, then returned and reinstated with their new fittings.
Opportunities to give
We are looking for donations both large and small. Would you like to sponsor the rehanging one of the eight bells, either as an individual or as a family or group of friends? This would cost £2,000.
Each of the eight rope wheels can be sponsored for £500 or a rope pulley for £250.
We also need to cover the cost of raising and lowering the bells from the tower, associated building work and refurbishment of the ringing chamber. As part of the project we will install a sound control system so that the volume of the bells can be reduced for practice sessions.