THE sound of church bells has been secured for a generation by the award of a £5,000 Lottery grant.

Decay in the wooden supports of the bells at Thirkleby Parish Church, near Thirsk, meant that one of the bells was already unusable.

If remedial action had not been carried out, all three bells would have had to be removed from the grade II listed building within two or three years.

A grant from the Millennium Festival Awards for All scheme means the bells will be restored to their former glory .

Former churchwarden Shirley Alker, who put together the project to save the bells, said: "The tenor bell already has its rope pulled up because the wooden head stock won't support it. The treble bell is also on its last legs.

"If we couldn't get this grant we reckon in two or three years the bells would have had to be completely removed.

"It is wonderful to get the grant and it means we can go on chiming them for 20 or even 50 years."

The grant will cover repairs to the wooden supports and a clean-up for the bells, which will also be fitted with new clappers.

The restoration work is expected to be completed by December.