A CAMPAIGN to increase the number of bells in a Cornish church tower from six to 10 is swinging into its final phase.

St Cleer Ringers has so far raised more than £100,000 of the £150,000 needed for the project by way of grants, donations and community fundraising.

Further grants sources will be researched and now, a Just Giving page has been set up, allowing individuals and organisations to make contributions to the project.

The ringers have been gifted eight redundant bells from the closed-down Church of St James in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

St Cleer’s existing peal of six will be removed, melted down and the metal used to cast two brand new bells.

“Our oldest bells date back to the 1700s and it is satisfying that by re-using the bell metal we will be maintaining that link with the past. It is part of the parish’s heritage and will help continue a centuries-old tradition long into the future,” said St Cleer Tower Captain Ian Banbury.

Once the funding is in place, a two-way process will begin. The bells from Paisley will be transported to Taylor’s foundry in Loughborough, where they will be overhauled.

Later, St Cleer’s bells will be taken to the foundry for melting down and re-casting.

Lowering the old bells and raising the new ones through three floors is a task to be carried out by experts from Taylor’s. The foundry has also designed a new cast-iron frame to hold the ten bells.

“This is a true community project which will resonate throughout the parish, widely in Cornwall and beyond and down the years for many generations to come,” said Ian.

To donate to the project online, visit the JustGiving website and search for Ian Banbury St Cleer.

“We are grateful for any donation, however small, and would ask people to spread the word in any way they can,” said Ian.