A grant of £3,000 has been made to help restore the bells of Coddington's parish church.

The frame holding the bells must be replaced and the bells themselves retuned.

Coddington Parochial Church Committee has been raising cash for two years and money has come from a number of sources, including £18,000 from the Lottery and a similar amount raised through efforts in the community.

A gardens open day and a charity auction raised £6,000, and other funding has been raised through concerts, towards a grand target of around £40,000.

The latest and final windfall comes from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, in recognition of bellringing's position as a folk art.

When the work on the bells and frame has been completed, Coddington will enjoy its first regular peal of bells for three decades, although they have been used for weddings and funerals.

Committee spokesman Dr Denis Savage said: "This last grant is the final piece of the jigsaw.

"The bells, which are currently away being retuned, should be back and up at the end of March, ready to be rung at Easter."

The bells and the original wooden frame and date back to 1865.

The wooden frame had become rotten and so will be replaced with one made of steel.

Sound-proofing has been added to the church, to lessen the effect on neighbours.