Bells Restoration Project
We are delighted that the project is nearing completion and that building work has started. In fact, the gallery is now complete and ready for use as soon as the bells are restored and, along with the new bells, are replaced in the tower. We anticipate this will happen during October 2010.
The new bells have already been cast at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London. A small group were able to witness the casting of the three new bells and this proved to be what one witness called a very moving experience.
Video of Bells Casting (3.5Mb)
We are delighted that the three bells for restoration have been removed from the tower and are now being retuned prior to their return in October 2010. They will return to Campsea Ashe on the 4th October and will be installed in the tower ready for ringing by the end of the month.
To undertake this project we have received many generous donations for which we are extremely grateful and we have been successful in obtaining grants from a number of sources and, again, we are pleased to express our gratitude to these organisations:
- Suffolk Guild of Ringers
- Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust
- Scarfe Trust
- Scarpe Trust
- Suffolk County Council
- Ganzoni Charitable Trust
- Allchurches Trust Ltd
- Historic Churches Trust
- Suffolk Historic Churches Trust
- Alan Evans Memorial Trust
- Awards for All
- The Garfield Weston Foundation
- Suffolk Corporate Regeneration Fund
- Your Heritage Lottery
- Barron Bell Trust.
Radio Suffolk has written an article about the project which is available on: