A BRIDE-TO-BE is having to do without the peal of bells at her wedding - because the church where she is tying the knot cannot find anyone to ring them.

Lisa Pattison, 23, is getting hitched to fianc Andrew Stoker, 30, at St John the Evangelist Church in Darlington in September next year.

She had hoped to hear the traditional chime of bells as she left the church in Neasham Road with her new husband - but a shortage of bell ringers means that won't be possible.

"When we went to book the wedding, we got a list of all that's included in the service and bell ringers was crossed out," she said.

"I said 'that's a shame, why is it crossed out?'. They said 'we can't find bell ringers; it's a dying art'."

The Reverend Mike Dent, church rector, told The Northern Echo he wasn't sure how long the church had been without bell ringers.

"I have only been here for 18 months and have done a few weddings," he said. "I think one person asked for bells but we had to say no.

"We have church bells and they are in working order but we don't have anybody or enough people with the expertise to ring."

He appealed to anyone interested in ringing bells at the church to contact him.

"At the moment, a wedding service is £400," he said. "I don't know what bell ringers would want to charge on top of that but I don't think that would deter people who wanted them."

Miss Pattison said: "It's not going to ruin my day. I just think it's a real shame, not just for me, but for the church and anybody else who is getting married there."

Anyone interested in ringing the church bells can contact Mr Dent on (01325) 244430.