We are excited to announce that we have a launch event planned for 24th October between 2-5pm at St Cuthbert’s Church.

You will be able to learn more about the Wells Bells Project and talk to our ringers about the project and bell ringing in Wells. There will be tower tours every 30 minutes so you can see the bells and have a go at ringing yourself. We will have activities for young and old alike.

Additionally, we will have videos showing our bell ringers – and bells – in action so you can see how it all comes together to make the sounds you so regularly hear.

The church lovelies are providing liquid refreshments to whet your whistle and cakes to tempt your taste buds.

Please do come along and support us.

If you are interested in finding out more about our project but are not available that afternoon, you can also come and see us in the Market Square in the morning or between 10am-3pm in the Market Square on 17th October.

For the bell project to be successful it is vital that we have the support of prestigious and established bell hangers. Of the three companies we approached about the project White’s of Appleton responded with the most comprehensive and thoughtful proposal and have a strong reputation with heavy bells.

Whites of Appleton are the oldest trading bellhangers in the UK and were established in 1824. They therefore have over 200 years experience in restoring, hanging and tuning church bells old and new.

They will manage the core of the project and their work will include:

• Dismantling the current structure – Remove the existing bells, fittings and frame from the church tower and transport the bells to their workshop for refurbishing.
• Refurbish the bells – Drill and repair the crowns of the bells; Re-tune and voice the bells to improve their sound; Install new clapper staples and headstocks; and make adjustments to the clappers for optimal striking
• Organise the casting of the three new bells – The two new trebles and the replacement for the current 3rd bell will be cast at the Royal Eijsbouts Foundry and Whites will tune the bells ready for hanging.
• Building the bell frame – Construct a new cast-iron frame for 10 bells using high quality materials and install the frame in the tower ensuring proper support and stability.
• Ringing Fittings – Design and install full-circle ringing fittings including headstocks, clappers, wheels, ropes, and other components
• Rehanging – Transport and install the bells, including the two additional bells, and fittings in the new frame, and set up the ropes and ensure proper operation by testing the bells with local ringers. They will also set up the old 3rd bell so it can be chimed.

The White’s element of the Wells Bells Project is likely to cost in the region of £220,000.

The Wells Bells Project is designed to address each of the main problems learners experience when trying to master the St Cuthbert’s Bells. In tackling these problems we will also make ringing easier for our regular ringers thus improving the quality of ringing in Wells.

Firstly, we need to make our existing bells easier to ring. This can only be done if we deal with the issue of the frame and the way the bells are hung. The plan is to take out the bells and the frame; build a new frame; retune the bells; and rehang them on a fit-for-purpose new frame.

Secondly, we will add two new light treble bells at the front end of the ring. Both of these bells will be lighter than the current lightest bell in the tower. Adding these extra bells will increase the number of bells new ringers can learn on and less active ringers can ring. This will, hopefully, encourage learners to stick with bellringing, because they can progress faster, and will enable older ringers to keep ringing for longer.

Finally, we will replace the oldest bell, which was cast in 1683, but can no longer be retuned. Although we are removing this bell from the ring it will remain in the tower and serve as a chiming bell.

As the bells are part of St Cuthbert’s Church, the project has had to be agreed by the Parochial Church Council (PCC). They hold responsibility for the financial affairs of the church and are responsible for the maintenance, care and repair within the church. Prior to approval they required structural engineering and architectural reports concerning the health of the tower structure, as well as the report submitted by WABS outlining the detail of the planned project.

Approval was granted on 8th July 2026.

Although bellringing is not quite in the life or death state that the Apollo 13 astronauts found themselves in, without help we could find that over the next few decades it will fall into decline.

Bellringing has been part of English communities for centuries. The bells of St Cuthbert’s are part of Wells’ historic heritage and tell the story of the generations of people who have rung them. WABS (Wells Amateur Bellringing Society is the band that ring at St Cuthbert’s and Wells Cathedral) are very keen to do all they can to ensure that this activity continues into the next centuries.

So, what exactly is the problem?

Generally, the bellringing community is aging. Young people have many calls on their time and bellringing is often not on their radar as a fun activity. Even when we have young people interested in ringing they become disenchanted with it because they find progression slow – incidentally this can also apply to older learners. 

At St Cuthbert’s the bells are particularly testing to learn on. They are a very heavy set of 8 bells and are notoriously difficult to ring, because they are not hung on a frame that allows for efficient ringing. Even relatively experienced ringers find ringing the St Cuthbert’s bells a challenge. Unless learners can handle these tricky bells, any progression on to interesting ringing is impossible. 

There have been national initiatives in the past to raise the profile of bellringing. Most notably the Ringing Remembers campaign in 2018. The aim was to recruit 1400 new ringers nationally to commemorate the centenary of the First World War Armistice – one for each of the 1400 registered bell ringers who lost their lives during World War 1. 

WABS had a programme to support the 3 new members who came out of this initiative, including Saturday training sessions. However, only one of the ringers is still ringing at St Cuthbert’s Church, with the other two falling by the wayside. The main problem was the heaviness of the bells and the difficulty of ringing them, which meant that learning was too frustrating and challenging. 

The post COVID period also saw some elderly ringers give up bellringing. The time spent in lockdown and away from ringing meant they found it too demanding to climb to the ringing chamber and then ring the heavy bells.

So, something needs to change and the Wells Bells Project is our answer.