A grade I listed Cornwall church is appealing for support in refurbishing its ring of bells.

Ladock Church has been unable to ring a full peal since discovering serious issues with its number 7 bell last year.

Tower captain Jonathan Young hopes to proceed with comprehensive improvement works this year, which will involve removing the bells in summer in the hope of ringing them again in time for Christmas.

A bellringer since childhood, Jonathan moved to Ladock 12 years ago. “Everyone said Ladock bells were difficult to ring, so I had a go,” he explained. “They weren’t that bad, but I wondered what might make them better. I looked at how heavy they were and how long they had been there.”

The bells were installed in 1883 by a local carpenter rather than a bell-hanging specialist. “They were never very good from the start, and any ‘improvements’ had been done in a similar manner, often making things worse,” said Jonathan.

Things came to a head during “a horrible practice” last year. “The tuning was all over the place,” Jonathan recalled. “Ringers tend to be older, and there was a worry that if the bells got harder to ring, we wouldn’t be able to teach the next generation how to carry on the tradition.

“It’s as important for the community as much as for the church – the bells were rung for the Platinum Jubilee, the deaths of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the coronation of King Charles III.”

Jonathan invited foundries including Taylors of Loughborough to examine the tower and quote for the work. “All said we needed new bells. One made a frying pan-type ‘thunk’ rather than a bright sound.” As a result, bells 1, 2, 7 and 8 will be retuned, but 3 to 6 will be melted down and recast with inscriptions carried forward.

The seventh bell was the hardest to ring. Further examination revealed a broken gudgeon - the pivot that allows the bell to swing freely – and it hasn’t been rung since July. Fearing the other bells would go the same way, the decision was made to replace the wooden frame with a purpose-built cast-iron version that should last 200 years.

Having sourced heritage grants including £5,000 from Cornwall Historic Churches Trust, Jonathan hopes to supplement funds through village activities - such as fetes, a vintage tractor rally and a tug o’ war with bell ropes – and a forthcoming crowdfunding page.

Once removed, the bells will be displayed in the church over the summer in the hope of attracting interest from potential new ringers – including schoolchildren, who have assemblies in the building twice a week. Jonathan’s wife, Hayley, is ringing master at Truro Cathedral; unsurprisingly, their eight-year-old son Archie is already ringing.

“We want to make sure we have more ringers from the next generation,” said Jonathan. “It’s much easier to keep a band going than it is to start one from scratch.”

He added: “It would be wonderful to have the bells back in by Christmas. It’s about getting it right, now.”