GOING, going, nearly gone. The famous Westbury bells, the heaviest ring of six bells in the county, have been removed from the bell tower thanks to a chain gang of ringers and a Big Lottery win.

Neil Tappin, speaking for the bell ringers, says he hopes the bells will be back and ringing out for either Christmas or the New Year.

He reports: "At the end of June, Westbury-on-Severn won £60,000 in the Jubilee People's Millions from Big Lottery towards the minimum £85,000 cost to refurbish and get ringing again the heaviest ring of six bells in the county. 

"Bell hangers appointed are Whites, of Appleton near Abingdon, just into Oxfordshire.

"The bells are expected to be away for around four months. Their oak headstocks and worn-out plain bearings will be replaced by new steel headstocks and modern low-friction bearings at Appleton. Then the bells travel to Whitechapel foundry for tuning. So possible return, re-furbished, should be around the New Year. 

"The Dioscesan build­ers will add strengthening steels to go under the floor, bolted to the bell frame to limit movement and direct thrust to the West and East walls of this almost unique detached tower. 

"The bells will be re-hung with new wheels to take the rope sallies, by which the bells are swung, to be rung. Finally the bells will be test rung, to check that frame movement is within tolerance.  If not, further stabilising will be needed.

"The  Westbury and Minsterworth bell ringers have raised over £23,000 in recent years to add to the Lottery win, some of which has already been spent on architect and survey fees. 

"Costs are now more than was first thought, so the project will be some way short of the total required for all of the work that would set up these bells, four of which are 300 years old this year.

"They must be ready to ring early next year, to qualify for completing the Big Lottery grant conditions and indicators, without which they will not get all of their £60,000 grant. So there is talk of having to postpone all ancillary work, such as lighting, which does not directly achieve this, until many thousands more have been raised. Costs are being kept down, where possible, with ringers helping with the bells 'lift' by working the manual chain pulleys. With such heavy loads, this will be a laborious job, although Whites expect to complete removal in two days, with help from local ringers."