Return of church bells celebrated with flowers

Flowers bring colour to St Lawrence Church in Bigbury

A Devon village has celebrated the restoration of its historic bells with a flower festival.

The centuries-old bells at St Lawrence Church in Bigbury had been unsafe to ring for 20 years until they were brought back to life in 2024.

The church was decorated with floral displays and visitors were invited to try their hand at bell-ringing in the newly restored tower.

The celebration formed part of the Bigbury Flower Festival, the first to be held in the church in more than 20 years.

Visitors were invited to have a go at bell ringing

"This is a celebration by the community for the restoration of the bells," said Dane Vanstone, one of the local organisers.

"It's been decades since we've heard them, and it's been quite a boost to the community."

A small group of local residents, including Mr Vanstone, have taken up bell ringing and now practice regularly.

"We're really enjoying ourselves," he said. "I'm not sure our neighbours are enjoying the music just yet, but we're getting better."

The flower festival continues until 18:00 BST on Sunday.