FOR the past 800 years the bells of St Agatha’s church in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell have rung out to mark weddings, funerals and national celebrations.

But now churchgoers in the South Oxfordshire village, near Wallingford, need to raise £45,000 to fund essential maintenance work for the church’s eight bells.

A fundraising appeal was launched earlier this month to help the congregation reach their target, with just over £20,000 being pledged so far, including £5,000 from an anonymous donor.

Tony Lascelles, 74, head of the fundraising committee, said: “This shows that the local community here do not like to think that they could lose the bells.

“Bell ringing is a very popular and fun activity, and we have members covering all ages, both male and female.”

Mr Lascelles said work was expected to take five months, and church staff were hoping to raise enough money by early 2016.

The bells will be refurbished by church bell hangers Whites of Appleton, based in Abingdon.

They need to be restored and retuned, and the bell’s framework needs to be repaired before they can be rehung, church members said.

Apart from general maintenance, Mr Lascelles said, the bells have not been refurbished since 1808, after the church tower collapsed a few years earlier.

A total of six new bells were then installed in the church, which was built in 1153, and another two bells were added in 1968.

People can choose to donate a lump sum to the church, or can sponsor a specific bell of their choice. Sponsors will have a plaque with their name on placed on the bell when they have been rehung. Leaflets have been published and delivered in the village to encourage people to join the appeal.

The church will also be holding several fundraising events to raise money.

These will include a open garden and plant sale on September 27, and a Safari Supper on October 17, where people will visit other houses in the village to try different meals.

Church staff are also hoping to attract funding from external trusts who are involved in heritage projects.

Mr Lascelles, who has lived in the village for 40 years, said: “The bells are an important aspect of the village’s heritage, and they would be a sad loss to our community.”

The church also held a fundraising appeal in 2012 to finance a new extension to the main building.

The work cost £175,000 and paid for a new multi-purpose meeting room, two new toilets and a kitchen.

David Greasby, 60, chairman of the building committee, has been a church member since 1975.

He said: “Many people realise that bell ringing is an integral part of British royal life, and for a rural area like ours it’s very much a community based sound.”

* For information and to donate money to the church, contact Mr Lascelles on 01491 837910.