After years of silence, a village church can ring its bells once more thanks to some modern technology.

A service was held at St Mary’s Church, Michelmersh,  to celebrate the return of their bells, which are now rung with the push of a button, thanks to an automated chiming system The Rector, the Rev Canon Steve Pittis, welcomed around 50 parishioners and visitors to the rededication of the bells in the church tower, which stands separate to the main church.

He thanked two parochial church councillors, Peter Pritchett-Brown and Tom Robley, for their work in organising the complex refurbishment operation.

The bells have hung in the church tower since 1769 and were rung by the conventional rope-pulling method.

However, in recent times, it had been considered unsafe to ring the bells because the ancient frame from which they swung was unstable.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) decided to automate them and in March the three bells were removed from the tower by experts from the White-chapel Bell Foundry, in London.

It’s believed that this was the first time the bells had touched the ground in 244 years.

The bells have been modified to be locked in position in the tower. Their clappers have been removed and they are now chimed by electrically-operated hammers.

The new system enables them to be rung appropriately for all services, weddings or funerals. The new mechanism has been linked to the church tower clock, which now strikes the hours. It’s connected to the Anthorn radio time signal, so will always be accurate to the second, even if the clock itself, which has to be wound once a week by hand, is slightly slow.

The project has cost £13,500 and the PCC is still appealing for donations. To find out more about the PCC’s bells appeal, email Peter Pritchett-Brown, on peterpb@btinternet.com.