BELL RINGERS at a North Yorkshire church have been awarded £56,000 for a new project.

All Saints Church in Thirkleby, near Thirsk, has been awarded the grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Bell & Tower project, focusing on the art of campanology and the heritage of the church, with work expected to start next month.

The project will see the three existing bells removed and taken to Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London for conservation and tuning, two new bells cast by a foundry, and a sixth bell salvaged from an East London scrapyard.

The bell tower windows will also be restored, and an inscription will be hand-painted on them, acknowledging the work of the volunteer bell team who have done similar bell restoration projects all throughout Yorkshire.

Church warden Jill Gillanders said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and are confident the project will make a significant difference to this rural community by providing an interesting and challenging social activity open to everyone.”Members of the bell ringing team and the church will also be giving presentations on the heritage of the church to local schoolchildren while the nine-month project is underway.