THE search is on to find new volunteers to stop the church bells falling silent in a south Cumbrian town.

New recruits are urgently needed to take up the historic art of bell-ringing and preserve a vital part of Millom’s heritage.

Just two-and-a-half years ago, Millom’s bells started ringing out once again after more than 10 years of silence due to a shortage of ringers.

Now the tower captain at St George’s Church, Jeg Gray, has warned that the same could happen again.

He said: “Millom has just two ringers at the moment but there could be more than a dozen former ringers in the town.

“The bells were silent for more than 10 years because there just wasn’t the enthusiasm and it all fell apart. If I stopped now, it would stop again.”

Mr Gray has been a bellringer at St George’s Church for 55 years and believes the bells play a vital part in the daily life of the community.

They ring out joyful peals for weddings and mark solemn occasions such as funerals and Remembrance Day with a single toll.

Mr Gray said: “The bells show that the church is active and that it’s doing something. It’s about letting people know that the church is in touch with the rest of the world, that it is aware of what’s going on and that it wants to be part of it.”

In addition to marking special events, the bells add a touch of seasonal sparkle to the celebrations.

Mr Gray said: “It’s important especially coming up to Christmas. People expect to hear bells at Christmas and New Year.

“On New Year’s Eve, people in Millom go outside at midnight and leave the front door open and also open the back door so the wind of change blows through the past.”

The first bell arrived in Millom in 1876 to accompany the newly built St George’s Church.

Almost 50 years later, the church received a further five bells as a memorial to the people of Millom who died in the First World War. 

Mr Gray is determined not to allow the bells to fall silent again and is urging people to consider taking up the task.

He said: “It’s part of the heritage of our town and it’s something we lost for 10 years.

“There is so much fun to be had and we want to encourage people to join in and keep Millom’s heritage alive.”