The community in Woodley has worked together to once again hear the bells of St John’s Anglican Church in Woodley.
The church is making a final appeal to raise the remaining funds needed to restore its historic bells, with £18,000 already raised towards a £24,000 target.
The appeal has attracted strong support from across the local community. Organisations including Loddonvale Rotary Club, Woodley and Earley Lions, the ‘Lunch, Munch & A Chinwag’ group, the local Mothers’ Union branch, and an art group led by Michael Garaway have all contributed. More recently, the church’s children’s groups raised £100 by selling chocolate treats after Sunday services.
Support has come from much further afield, with donations received from as far away as New York and Singapore.
Many supporters say they remember hearing the bells while growing up in Woodley. For generations, they have marked weddings, funerals and key moments in community life. The church hopes that once restored, the bells will again ring out for occasions such as Remembrance events, VE Day commemorations and other national moments, helping to draw the community together.
Revd Mark Nam, Vicar of St John’s Woodley, said he was saddened to discover the bells were no longer working when he arrived two years ago:
“After five years without a vicar — and following Covid — I felt the church had, in some ways, lost its voice,
“I think it is time for this church to sing again — to ring out across the parish and let the community know that the church is here for them.”
The church’s three turret bells, cast in 1854 by renowned London founders Mears & Stainbank, have been silent for several years after becoming unsafe and falling into disrepair. The bells are a distinctive part of St John’s heritage, and their restoration is seen as a key moment in reviving a much‑loved local tradition.
Specialist bellhangers Whites of Appleton Ltd are due to carry out the restoration work, which is scheduled to begin in the final weeks of June. St John’s is now hoping to reach its full fundraising target before work gets underway.
The church paid special tribute to Brian Main, St John’s outgoing churchwarden, who has led the restoration project. Brian has served two stints as churchwarden over a 30‑year period, and the bells project is described as a fitting final contribution to the life of the church.
Cllr David Bragg, Mayor of Woodley, welcomed the news that work is about to commence.
“As a long‑standing resident of Woodley, I fondly remember the daily peal of these bells. I look forward to the completion of the works, when the soul of Woodley will once again ring out to us all.”
Alongside completing the fundraising, St John’s also hopes to establish a new bell‑ringing team. The team will be the start of what the church hopes will be the restored bells being enjoyed for generations to come.