Bells at St Thomas a Becket Church in Ramsey are ringing out again after major repairs to the roof of the historic building were carried out.

The bells had been silent since April for safety reasons while the work was taking place but the ringers were back in action in time for the Remembrance Day service, on Sunday.

Tower captain Cathy Moulton said the bells were rung to call people to worship, special services and other events including royal jubilees, the Olympics and ringers were in action within an hour of the announcement of the birth of Prince George.

“We practise every Tuesday from 7.30-9pm and whilst our bells have been out of action we have been very grateful to the rector and parochial church council of St Mary Magdalene, Warboys, who have kindly allowed us to use their bells,” she said.

Cathy said the bells at Ramsey were fairly heavy and suggested that young people wait to start learning to ring until they had reached secondary school age.

She said bell-ringing was well within the capabilities of most people and was a team activity which stimulated the brain and kept participants fit, with the basics taking several weeks to pick up, followed by a lifetime of learning.

Church bells in the town have had something of a chequered history and by the early 20th century were becoming difficult to ring and so a mechanical system was installed which lasted until the 1980s when the Huntingdonshire Bell Restoration Society started a major overhaul, with full circle ringing starting again in 1987.

They have since undergone further refurbishment and now the church roof has been repaired.