A pair of Breconshire church bells have been restored and reinstalled to the delight of parishioners and the wider commmunity.

In May this year, scaffolding was erected on Llangynidr church for roof repairs. This soon turned into a much bigger project when it was discovered that the hangings for the church’s two bells were in poor condition and unsafe to use.

When the specialist restorers Blythe & Co. removed the bells, the community was astonished to find that one of them could reliably be dated to the early 16th-century. It was dated as being definitely pre-reformation - so it has been ringing out sometime since the days of Henry VIII.

The bells then fell silent until mid-September when they were reinstalled and were able to rung out loudly a recent wedding.

In the intervening time the church has been fundraising.

A church spokesperson said: “We are grateful for a grant from The Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Sustainable Development Fund and another from The Swansea and Brecon Diocesan Guild of Bellringers, who also gave us good advice when we were starting out.

“Local people have also rallied round and we would also like to thank those who gave generously towards the project.”

The hangings that were removed had been installed when the church was rebuilt in the 1870s so it is hoped their work will also stand the test of time and not be cause for concern until at least the next century.