A TOWN'S church bells are set to ring again, more than 40 years after falling silent.

The bells of St Peter’s Church, Ruthin, are to be restored, thanks to a £96,000 National Lottery grant.

The money will fund their repair and the replacement of the bells' support frame.

In 1977, it was found that the church spire was structurally unsafe and the decision was made to have the bells, which rang every week, to be used only on special occasions.

Today, only the curfew bell is rung weekly.

The grant was awarded to the medieval church to restore what is a central item of the town’s history, as archive research shows that bells have been rung there since at least 1654.

The original bells were replaced in 1843, funded by public subscription, and the same ‘ring’ remains today, surviving the two world wars for which they would have called peacetime.

Joining in the celebrations of the restoration is Peter Smith, aged 78, who rang the bells until they were stopped. Mr Smith and several friends held fundraisers in the preceding years and raised £3,000 for the restoration, which they expected to happen “straight away”. As the project was shelved they saved the sum in a bank account ever since in the hope that the bells would one day be restored.

Mr Smith, who now lives in Henllan with his wife and former bell ringer Gwen, said: “The bells were gradually deteriorating and we tried to continue but had to give up for safety.

“We hoped at the time that the work would begin straight away, but it proved impossible because the money was not available.

“We kept the money because we didn’t want to hand it over until we knew it would be spent on the restoration of the bells.

“I had given up hope, but the restoration has come into fruition over the last year or two.”

The same foundry that installed the bells in the 1800s, John Taylor & Co, will also be carrying out their restoration, which will see a new metal frame replace the ancient oak frame and provide better access to the bell tower.

Revered Stuart Evans, the warden of St Peter’s Church, said: “These bells are the same bells that would have rung out announcing the end of the war in 1918. They would have been rung in the same way and would have sounded the same.

“It’s a poignant reminder of our link with the past and befitting that they should ring one last time before restoration, on this occasion.

“The history of the church is bound up with the history of the town.”

It is expected that the bells will be heard from a one-mile radius, depending on the wind.

This is the second major National Lottery grant for St Peter’s Church, which has recently repaired its roof to stop water damage to its magnificent medieval ceiling.

Jennifer Trigger, project co-ordinator, said: “This is an exciting and ambitious community project to restore the bells of Ruthin to their former glory. We know that Ruthin was among the first places to conduct circle bell-ringing and is believed to have been at the forefront of developing the technique.”

Richard Bellamy, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales, said: “Bell ringing plays an important role in local communities, with the sound of church bells heard far and wide across towns and villages throughout Wales. It that was lost, it would be a tragedy – but thanks to National Lottery players, St Peter’s will be able to protect this heritage and ensure its lives on for future generations.”

A team of 24 volunteer bell ringers will be required to ring the bells regularly and for civic events, weddings, national occasions and church services and it is hoped that a new generation of ringers will now be taught at the Ruthin church. Peter Furniss, from the North Wales Association of Bells Ringers and advisor to the project, said: “Over the centuries the bells have been rung to mark local and national events both solemn and joyful, as well as to call people to worship.

“The restoration of this ring of bells will enable the British tradition of full circle change ringing to be restored to Ruthin.

“This project provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce a new generation from the community to the art.”

Work to restore the bells will begin on November 5 with completion expected in May 2019.

A programme of schools and community activities will accompany the works.