Bells' four-year silence to be broken - video (From Worcester News)

Bells' four-year silence to be broken - video

11:10am Thursday 27th October 2011 in News By Sarah Davies

A FAMILIAR sound will return to a Worcester community next week for the first time in four years as a £200,000 church restoration project finally reaches completion.

St John-in-Bedwardine Church in St John’s has been without its peal of eight bells since February after they were removed to enable vital conservation work to be undertaken on its tower.

The structural repairs have been now been completed and specialist engineers spent Tuesday and Wednesday winching the bells back into place.

It is expected they will spend another week ensuring they are correctly secured to their fixings and replacing the clappers before the bells can be rung for the first time in four years.

Rev Chris Stuart, parish vicar, said it was a relief the work had finally been completed.

“We’ve had this thing hanging over us for so long – I won’t quite believe it until I hear the bells,” he said.

“It’s a kind of relief and actually a bit of excitement as well because I have never heard them ring.

"They haven’t rung for four years – it’s taken that length of time to get everything together.”

The Worcester News previously reported how the church launched an appeal to raise £200,000 to repair years of damage caused by a leaking roof and an infestation of death watch beetle, which had prevented the bells from being rung.

More than 400 personal donations were made by members of the public and organisations, and money was also raised through grants, enabling the work to go ahead.

The bells – some of which date back to 1816 – were kept in a secret location while structural work to replace rotten beams and crumbling window sills was carried out by conservation company Croft.

A special service is planned for Sunday, February 19, which will coincide with the anniversary of the dedication of the church in the 1370s.

The church is also appealing for people to come forward and learn bell ringing.

Anyone interested in taking part can call Mr Stuart on 01905 429773.