Devon parish raises £60,000 to repair church bells

The bells date back to the 16th Century and have rung in Wembury for almost 500 years

Church bells in a Devon parish are to be rehung after the community raised £60,000 to repair them.

The bells at St Werburgh's Church in Wembury were last recast and rehung in 1908 and had rung for nearly 500 years, said bell-ringer Sue Stoker.

But they were taken down in January, with the bearings and the frame which held them in the church tower in need of refurbishment.

The process of refitting the bells was due to start on Tuesday and take two weeks before they were ringing again, according to those behind the campaign to repair them.

Mrs Stoker said: "The village has really come together, we had some fundraising events which were really well attended.

"But we have also had people coming in and just putting money into a pot - it has just been brilliant.

"We reached the target much quicker than we thought we were going to."

Previously she had said that "the village would be very sad without them".

"I think people do depend on them," she said.