Corby church's treble bell rings out over town for first time in six months
A group of experienced bell-ringers came together at St John’s Church in Corby Old Village to hear the newly mended treble bell ring for the first time.
Churchgoers raised the funds to refurbish the treble bell’s headstock, which was in need of attention after nearly a century of use.
The headstock – a structural part of the bell which mechanism which takes its full weight every time it is rung – was removed by specialists O’Shea Engineering back in March.
The bell was donated to the church nearly 100 years ago by local brickworks owner James Pain.
And Isaac O’Shea was back at the church over Easter to hoist the bell back up the church tower so it could be rung once again.
Bell-ringers from across North Northmptonshire arrived at the historic church in the heart of Corby’s Old Village to ring all six bells at once.
And all had a story to tell, with centuries of ringing between them.
The ringers included Murray Coleman, 83, from Rothwell who has been ringing since he was 11, and Diana Talbot, 87, who has also been ringing for many decades.
Jim and Sarah Bence rang their own bells on their wedding day at St Mary’s in Rushden in 1996. Jim has been ringing for 51 years since he was 9, and Sarah for 44 years.
William Taylor, 72, has been a bell-ringer since he was 13 including 30 of those years in Corby.
Corby Tower Captain Cathy Mason has been involved for 35 years. She said: “It’s been a big project but it sounds wonderful. It’s lovely to hear all six bells together again.”
Issac O’Shea, who was charged with refurbishing the headstock, also helped ring the bell for the first time since its refurbishment. He’s been a bell-ringer since the age of 10. He said: “The project has taken us six months in total.
"We managed to get the bell back in the tower, it went back in really nicely, and I’m extremely happy with how it’s all turned out.”
The group are still fundraising to try to raise the a remaining portion of the total cost of refurbishing the church’s bell infrastructure but have gratefully received many donations from church-goers, bell ringers and local people. They have also received grants and donations of £2,000 from the Peterborough Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers, a £2,500 empowering councillor’s grant, £300 from the Corby Village Neighbourhood Association and £250 from the Sharpe Trust.