THE children at Hatherleigh Primary School had an unusual visit last week.

The bells from Meeth Church were taken down as part of a restoration project on the tower, bells and vestry funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The bells made a detour before heading off to Whitechapel Foundry in London for essential repairs and were driven on the back of a truck into Hatherleigh School’s playground for everyone to see.

The Rev Ruth Hansford told the children a bit of the bells’ history and interesting facts, including that they weigh half a ton on average. The hatch to the tower had to be widened to get the bells out as it was believed that they were originally cast in the tower and this was the first time they had been removed to be repaired.

Prior to the visit, the children had welcomed Dr Ian Campbell to an assembly in which he showed them some hand bells and let the children have a go at ringing them.

Dr Campbell has been ringing church bells since his teenage years in London and was in charge of ringing at Exeter Cathedral for many years and at Heavitree Parish Church in Exeter.

He is a bell advisor for the Guild of Devonshire Ringers, inspecting bell installations all over the country and a trustee of the Devon Church Bell Restoration Fund as well as holding other positions in the Guild.