Bells and Whistles Exercise Group at St Peter’s Church in Trusthorpe was awarded £9,999 of Community Investment Funding by the Theddlethorpe Community Partnership for essential maintenance work to be completed in the Belfry and ‘Ringers Room’, a Gazebo for outdoor activities, a hot-potato oven to help provide a warm space, new equipment for gardening and maintenance and an education area.
Talking about the purpose of the group, churchwarden Diana Povah explained,
“Bells and Whistles was started in 2012, and we thought ‘well, we have three super bells in the bell tower that haven’t been rung in 35 years’, so we made a decision to try and refurbish them.
“It makes me feel extremely proud that we’ve done something as a community and built something up which hopefully will be a lasting part of this church.”
Discussing what they have been able to achieve with the funding, Diana added,
“The funding has brought a lot of life back into the community. People are now coming to church who didn’t come to church before, and they know it’s not just about hymns and prayers. So, the indoor places like the annexe and the education centre have been great.
“The funding we’ve had has given us a break. We’ve been able to do something different by having workmen in to refurbish the tower and the bells, and to think of new ideas and get more people involved to come to the church and enjoy the facilities we’ve got.”
The group provides a valuable service in the community and can continue to run their multiple conservation days, and ring out the bells every Sunday and other national holidays, and the hot-potato oven provides hot but cheap food to help the cost of living for people in the local area.
Read about the funding available and how to apply on our Community Investment Funding page.