St Helen Willingham’s bells – work is complete!

Bellringers and spouses from Willingham and the surrounding area worked flat out during the month of August to carry out the refurbishment of Willingham’s bells. 
On August 1st the local ringers got started by degreasing and cleaning the bell frame.  On the next day a team of 6 more experienced ringers worked extremely hard all day to remove the bells’ clappers, wheels and headstocks, lowering them to the church floor through the trap doors, ready for them to go to the bellhangers’ works in Nottingham.
  The next three weeks were spent putting three coats of paint on the frame (a lot went on the painters too) and covering the louvres on the inside with thick wooden boards so that the sound of the bells would go out of the lantern at the top of the tower rather than out of the louvres.  Meanwhile, in Nottingham the clappers were reshaped, the headstocks altered so that the bells are now hung on ball bearings, and the wheels overhauled and coated with preservative. 
 On August 22nd the fittings returned to the tower and a large team of volunteers reassembled the bells, all the pieces being hauled back up the tower using pulley chains.  Work was also carried out on the roof and sound lantern to make sure that these keep the elements and birds out of the tower.
 On August 27th the bells rang out once more on practice night.  All were thrilled with the sound of the bells.  The objective had been to make sure that the bells were quieter in the vicinity of the church but could still be heard at a distance.  This objective seems to have been achieved.  The bells also sound mellower because they have been quarter turned so that the clappers hit a new part of the bell.  They are easier to ring, and won’t need the monthly oiling any more because of the ball bearings.  (Hooray!)
 It was a huge task.  Some 450 volunteer hours went into this major project.  We are immensely grateful to Tom Blyth, our young bellhanger from Saxilby who worked tremendously hard and was very patient with the volunteers.  All the volunteers feel rightly proud that their work will ensure that the bells are in excellent condition for the next 100 years. 
 Fund raising for the project continues.  There has been an amazing amount of generosity from villagers and grant making bodies.  However, there is still a shortfall of about £1000.  There will be a pub quiz at the Rose and Crown, Upton on Nov 6th and a concert in Willingham Village Hall later in the month.  We hope to see you there.