Churchgoers are calling for volunteers to help keep their recently renovated bells ringing on Sundays and special occasions.

It was a whole village effort raising the £64,000 needed to restore the bells in St Denys, and now they’d love to see more people learning to use them.

After discovering the condition of the bells and fixings were in poor repair and becoming dangerous, churchgoers and villagers rallied around to save them.

St Dennis Bells and Ringers committee was formed and its members worked to find grants and raise the money needed.

Steve Bradbury, St Denys Churchwarden, said: “We had a group of ringers come a few years ago and the bell ropes broke.

“I went up into the tower to have a look and could see we needed more than a couple of repairs.”

He contacted John Taylor Bell Foundry of Loughborough and, during a site visit, discovered significant problems including bell clappers held on by rust and corroded bolts.

Steve said: “We were given a quote of £64,000 for the work to be done. That’s a lot of money. We are in the middle of the clay area and there was quite a lot of poverty in the village coming out of the pandemic. We thought villagers wouldn’t want to raise money for the bells when there were other pressing issues.”

But the whole community was keen to help and in 2023 work began. By summer 2024 the eight bells were rehung and there was a special service led by The Rt Revd Hugh Nelson.

The bells now attract ringers from across the country. People in the village are looking for more local volunteers to join them in learning the ropes.

Liz Bradbury, Local Worship Leader at St Denys, said: “We have three established bell ringers and six people learning, the most accomplished new ringer is a 14-year-old.

“We would like some more volunteers as when we have events going on, we can’t always gather the full team of ringers.

“You don’t have to be a churchgoer to come and ring the bells. We remain indebted to Phil Tremain from St Columb Major, who has been teaching us and providing ongoing tuition, and rely on his incredible support.”

Steve added: “It is a sociable activity, good for wellbeing, and we sometimes go down to the pub afterwards.”

Anyone interested can visit the St Dennis Bells and Ringers or St Denys Church Facebook page.

Grant funding was received from a number of bodies including St Dennis and Nanpean Community Trust, Truro Diocesan Guild of Ringers, Cornwall Historic Churches Trust as well as many local and national groups, businesses and individuals.