ANYONE who has read Miss Read will know how important the school bell was to its pupils.

When Victorian schools were built, children wouldn't have possessed watches and even if they left home for school in plenty of time, there were many things to distract them on the way, especially in the summer and if they lived in the countryside.

Therefore, the clanging of the school bell served to remind them, especially the stragglers along the way, that school was about to begin.

Housed in a small bell tower on the roof, a rope was attached to the bell and then fed down into a classroom or lobby and it was a treat for the youngsters to have the responsibility of calling everyone to class.

Gladestry Church in Wales Primary School was built in 1877 and has such a bell. Former pupil and one time chair of school governors, Mr Viv Lloyd, said that the bell was in use when he started at the school in 1950 but had stopped working before he left, around 1956. Since that time it has remained silent.

However, the school has always desired that the bell be restored at some point and thanks to the generosity of the Gladestry Active Community Fund and the sterling efforts of Mr Robin Vincent, a local restoration builder, this has been achieved.

An art competition in school provided four winners who had the honour of being the first pupils to pull the rope on the newly refurbished bell, which they did, with pride, breaking the silence of 60 years.

There were games organised by the children who encouraged visitors to take part, some of whom were themselves pupils at the school many years ago.

To celebrate the occasion, FROGS (Friends of Gladestry School) provided tea and cakes to which parents, friends and villagers were invited to enjoy. The turn out was fantastic and much appreciated by pupils, staff and organisers.