Readers of The West Dorset Magazine are being invited to join a big community effort to raise the final £50,000 to restore the five bells of St Thomas à Becket Church – famously eulogised in the 1879 poem Lydlinch Bells by William Barnes.

And as part of the restoration, a sixth bell will be added bearing a plaque with the name of a person who donates a ‘significant sum’ in a prodigious tribute.

The five Lydlinch bells have fallen into a state of disrepair, having been last restored in 1908, and no longer chime, so Lydlinch villager Sally-Anne Barrett spearheaded a campaign to reach the £123,000 target.

The tenor bell cast in 1681 by Thomas Purdue at Lydlinch Church, photographed in black and white. Latin and decorative engravings are visible on the bell's surface, along with ropes for ringing. This is one of the five bells immortalised in William Barnes' 1879 poem Lydlinch Bells — Tenor bell of 1681 by Thomas Purdue at Lydlinch church

A stunning £78,000 has been raised by the little village in a big community effort from bistro nights in the village hall to many events, and the William Barnes Society have made donations.

Sally-Anne said: “Part of the restoration is to include a sixth bell, which has been donated to us from a redundant church by the Keltek Trust and will make the bells sound even better.

“We have been advised that a plaque with a name can be added to this bell.

“It would be a wonderful tribute or memorial. One of the bells from 1681 has the name of the churchwarden on it.”

Work has started on inserting hatches in the tower floors to enable the bells to be brought down and then rehung.

Sally-Anne added: “In 1914 the bells were effectively boxed in when renovations were undertaken on the tower.

“Although the hatch work has added to the restoration costs, they will of course be there for the next bell restoration in a hundred years’ time!

“I would like to thank The West Dorset Magazine for the publicity you have given us. There has been a lot of interest in the bells, helped by your magazine, and when we are able to proceed to the restoration, we will be inviting people to come and see the bells being taken down.”

A couple of fundraising events are being held to raise cash for the bells immortalised by William Barnes: Firstly, on June 28, tea in the garden at the Old Rectory, Stock Gaylard, DT10 2BG is being held between 2.30pm and 5pm including the wonderful ‘help yourself tea’, stalls and free parking. Dogs welcome. The event is £8 including tea. Last year £3,000 was raised for the bells.

And then on September 27, a joint event with the William Barnes Society will take place in the church.

A message from the Parochial Church Council reads:

Today, the bells are in urgent need of restoration. They are heavy, difficult to ring, and require tuning.

“Their weight makes them unsuitable for teaching beginners, and as a result the village has had no active band of ringers for some time.

“In recent years, visiting ringing teams have also declined sharply, as the bells have become increasingly challenging to ring. As part of the restoration project, several beginners are now training at a nearby church, with six recently receiving their first certificates.

“The aim is to revive the heritage of bellringing within the community and once again welcome visiting bands to ring the Lydlinch bells.

“Your contribution to this vital restoration project would make a tremendous difference, helping to safeguard the legacy of Lydlinch Bells for generations to come.

St Thomas à Becket Church, Lydlinch, a stone-built medieval church with a square tower, viewed from the churchyard. The church sits in a green landscape with gravestones in the foreground and a large cedar tree to the left. Clear blue sky and grass suggest a spring or summer day — St Thomas à Becket Church, Lydlinch

“No matter the size of your donation, your support will mean the world to us. Every penny raised will go directly towards the restoration work. And if your gift qualifies for Gift Aid, it will help us make each contribution go even further.

“A heartfelt thank you for your generosity.”

If anyone would like to name the bell by donating a significant sum, of some £10,000 or more, contact Lydlinch church treasurer at lydlinchchurchdorset@gmail.com

People can donate at JustGiving.

Lydlinch Bells, by William Barnes

Lydlinch Bells” is a celebration of the church bells as the heartbeat of village life.

The poem is set on a freezing winter night. While the landscape is icy and stark, the bell-ringers are at work in the church tower, ringing “changes” (variations of bell patterns).

As they ring, the community gathers—women finish their chores and sit by the fire doing needlework, listening to the bells.

The poem emphasizes that these bells are good for sound and liked by all the neighbours round (the repeated refrain).