Rumpus over sound of church bells in South Downs village

The sound of church bells ringing in a South Downs village has led to a ding-dong among residents.
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One resident in Storrington questioned why the bells of St Mary’s parish church were ‘constantly ringing’ - and was met with a barrage of complaints from others saying how the bells were ‘lovely to hear’ and were ‘a beautiful sound.’

In messages on social media, some said that anyone choosing to live in a village should expect to hear the sound of church bells and they pointed out that the ringing was ‘not constant.’

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St Mary’s bellringers’ captain, John Taylor, has been ringing the bells for the past 55 years without any complaints.

Bells at Storrington Parish Church 'a lovely sound'Bells at Storrington Parish Church 'a lovely sound'
Bells at Storrington Parish Church 'a lovely sound'

“I’ve heard people say after a service how nice it is to hear the bells,” he said.

No bells were rung during the first lockdown and John said that it might be that people now were more aware of the sound.

“We have curtailed bell-ringing at the moment,” he said.

The bells are now rung for practice sessions on Friday evenings from 8-9pm and for the morning service on Sndays from 9.30 - 10am, but had previously been rung for longer with two sessions on a Sunday.

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