In one of the regular inspections by the church architect in 2015, we were advised that the bells, the frame and the fittings were in need of major restoration and it would be unsafe to ring the bells on a regular basis.  This merely confirmed what the bell ringers already knew and Canon Reverend Annette Reed and the Parochial Church Council agreed that action was needed if the bells were ever to be rung on a regular basis. It is worth noting that the oldest bell was cast in about 1400 AD and the other four were cast between 1721 and 1896 so they had all lived a full life!

The first step was to commission three renowned bell foundries/bell hangers to prepare draft reports, recommendations and quotations for returning the bells to a safe and full working order. The opportunity was also taken to investigate the introduction of a sixth bell which would significantly enhance the quality of full circle ringing and would be a major attraction for both new and experienced bell ringers.

This amount of money far exceeded church funds and a major programme of fundraising was commenced. The first steps were to approach charitable organisations and we were extremely grateful to receive offers from four organisations totalling £14.5k.We were also very fortunate to receive a gift of £10.4k from a village resident to pay for the cost of casting and installing a new sixth bell.  With a multitude of donations, in various forms, from people within the village and with the certainty of recovering VAT from a government scheme, we were left with a shortfall of £47.2k.

We were then faced with a big decision which was either to abandon the project or, as a last resort, make an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).  For a few people, it was decided that we could never forgive ourselves if we didn’t try to raise the funds even though we knew that such an application would be a major undertaking. Our first application to the HLF was unsuccessful as we did not fully involve the village and its occupants in an inclusive manner. Although the lack of success was a bitter pill to swallow, we refused to be beaten and resubmitted with a much different approach that involved the community in many ways. This included talks at Great Paxton Primary School, creation of a new website, a coach trip to the bell foundry, a volunteer recruitment drive and a number of other initiatives. We were delighted to receive a letter from the HLF on 1 August 2017 advising us that we had been successful and were being awarded a grant of £47.2k which meant that we were fully funded.