A COMMUNITY is hoping to raise tens of thousands of pounds in order to save a historic church bell at the heart of the town.

A group of residents in Stratton are on a mission to rescue a piece of the town’s history, which people might not have seen, but they certainly will have heard; a church bell.

Each Sunday, church bells at St Andrew’s Church are rung to call people to worship, however, since spring, the call of the bells has been missing its usual tone after one bell is in desperate need of repair.

Since the beginning of the year, only seven bells have been ringing due to major restoration work being needed in the belfry before all eight bells can be heard once more.

Jo Barnes, tower captain at St Andrew's Church explained: “Church bells are rung to call people to worship on Sunday mornings, to celebrate religious festivals such as Christmas and Easter, to celebrate weddings, special occasions like VE Day and Coronations and sometimes to mourn the deceased at funerals.

“They are very much a part of life in Stratton.

“The bells of St Andrew’s are amongst the finest, cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough.

“They are highly regarded amongst bellringers, both locally and nationally, for their fine tone and are the second heaviest peal of eight bells in the county of Cornwall.”

However, extensive damage means that repairs are necessary, and the work doesn’t come cheap.

Jo continued: “The sixth bell’s cast iron bellframe is cracked, so it cannot be rung and the frame castings of the six heaviest bells have been pushed up and out of position by the effects of rolled steel joist rusting expansion. Fortunately, all the necessary work can be carried out in the belfry, thus avoiding the entire bell installation having to be removed from the tower, the cost of which would be astronomical.”

With the work needed to be undertaken, the church has decided to carry out an MOT to keep the bells ringing for years to come.

“Whilst undertaking this work, it makes sense to check all the main bearings for wear and fit them with fresh lubricant and seals,” said Jo. “Also, the first seven bells’ clappers will be removed from the bells and sent away for rebushing, refacing and annealing, allowing them to strike more evenly.”

However, the works have been quoted at a sum of more than £32,000, and at such a high price, the community is being asked to give their support to the fundraising effort.

Jo explained: “We need to raise in excess of £32,000 to complete this work and restore this beautiful peal of eight bells to their former glory.”

Despite the hefty sum, around £22,000 has already been raised and promised towards the repairs, leaving a total of £10,000 needed to fully fund the works.

Donations can be made via the group’s JustGiving page: justgiving.com/page/standrewsbells and more information can be found by contacting [email protected].