BELLS rang out across Pembroke on Saturday (August 18) during a tower open day, marking the beginning of a big bell restoration project.

Bells have rung in the church of St Mary’s church, Pembroke, since the 1760s. The eight bells were cast by several bell founders over the years.

Six bells were restored and two new ones added for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897.

Notoriously difficult to ring and rather out of tune, major work on the bells is long overdue.

To commemorate the hundred-year anniversary of the end of World War 1 the Pembroke Bell Ringers have decided to undertake a big restoration project.

The bells will be taken out of the 14th century listed building for re-tuning, the bell frame rebuilt further down the tower and the bells rehung with new fittings.

If funding can be found, the ringers intend to augment the bells to a peal of ten.

The ringers and volunteers will carry out as much of the work as they can under the guidance of their guild Bell Restoration Officer Peter Hayward and bell specialist Tom Blyth.

A spokesperson said: “This exciting heritage project will safeguard the bells for the next few hundred years, to be enjoyed by all, for many generations to come.

“We will be approaching charities and local organisations to raise the required funding and it is hoped that we will find a generous local benefactor to cover the cost of one of the new bells, and whose name will be remembered far into the future on the historic list of patrons.”

If you would like to donate a bell, help out or learn how to ring please contact Eldon Lingard at elingard47@talktalk.net or Anne Bunker abunker@marineseen.com or call 07977 541520.