THE peal of church bells will be heard once more in Goodrich after a four-year absence.

The six bells of St Giles Church have been restored by bellfounders Taylors, Eayre and Smith of Loughborough and returned to their rightful place in the church tower.

They have been re-hung and tuned in preparation of their re-dedication service on Sunday by the Bishop of Ludlow, the Rt Rev Michael Hooper.

Eileen Lyon, secretary of the Parochial Church Council, said: “I am so relieved and excited to see them back where they belong.

“I can’t wait for them to ring out again. The re-dedication service will be, for me, quite a moving experience.”

Each bell took between 15 and 30 minutes to hoist into the tower but the tenor, which weighs half-a-ton, took 45 minutes as it needed slightly more persuasion.