As the village has heard already, the clock is striking, the bells are ringing before services and practices started again on Wednesday. The ropes are still a bit stretchy and we are getting used to the new ‘feel’ of the bells. We won’t be practising next week traditionally as it is Holy Week, the week before Easter.
After that, we shall then be looking out to recruit some more ringers – did you learn at school? rang a long time ago or always thought it would be nice thing to do? After Easter come and have a look or refresher! Zack Pope, a Daventry young ringer, kindly diagnosed a failed power unit and has now restored our cctv so we can again watch the bells as they ring.
The last piece of the £67,000 project took place on Friday, 27 March when Martyn Parratt restored the masonry to the tower doorway. He had volunteered to remove it back in June 2025 to make room for the biggest bell to pass through. He has left his card in a plastic bag set in the mortar to be found the next time!
Martyn started and finished the job, but in between we had lots of fantastic voluntary help for the bellhanger from Steve Brooks, Anne Prestwick, Pete Johnson, Martin Walton, Dale Sutherland, James Grennan, Mike Thompson, Garry and Christian Malloy, Steve Chandler, Sue Sutherland, Simon Pullin and Richard Piner.
Thanks also go to all the people and organisations that have helped to raise the funds for the work: grants (including grants to cover some of the VAT) £34,610; legacy £20,000, sponsorship £750, donations of money and forgoing of fees £8,800.