BELLS at St Mary The Virgin in Much Cowarne, which have not rung for decades, are set to peal out again.

A fund has been opened for a £30,000 restoration project for the six bells in the 13th Century Norman church.

For safety reasons, they have not been pealed for many years but after restoration, they will ring out even more tunefully than before.

"Modern re-tuning methods use machining to fine tune the sound so the bells should sound even better than they did in the past," said churchwarden Terry Jefferies.

One of the six Victorian bells, the tenor, is cracked and will be replaced.

A replacement bell has been donated by the Keltek Trust, a charity that rescues bells from disused buildings. One has been found that was made in the same foundry, Mear's, as those in St Mary's.

All the original fittings will also be replaced and the 1845 oak bell frame will be strengthened.

The church's tower, which is Grade I listed, was recently restored by English Heritage.

"It will be good to put it to full use again," said Mr Jefferies, adding that the restored bells would bring new life and activity to the church.

He said the church had an active congregation and the bell-ringers from Stoke Lacy church would take on the task of pealing the bells.

There are also plans to renovate the room below the tower, which is used by the local community.

It is hoped that around half the cost of the restoration work will be met through grants from charitable trusts.

Fundraising events and donations have already made more than £600 for the fund.