A FUNDRAISING stall for Otley All Saints Bellringers has been hailed a great success.

The group's recent Baking, Books and Botany for the Bells stall, held at the Buttercross, raised £550.

The money will support a £35,000 appeal that has been launched to restore the bells at All Saints Parish Church.

Meg Morton from Otley All Saints Bellringers said: "We were delighted with how our first fundraiser for the appeal went and are very grateful for the support given by many people to this event.

"We hope to follow it up with many others, as we have a total of £35,000 to raise for essential work to ensure that the church bells keep ringing.

"The bells are there to call parishioners to prayer on Sunday mornings and to express joy at weddings and other happy celebrations - such as for the Queen's 90th birthday, when they were rung at noon on June 12.

"But they also play their part on more solemn and sorrowful occasions.

"On Friday, July 1 there will be a bell tolling at 7.30am for five minutes to commemorate those who fell at the Battle of the Somme a hundred years ago.

"This is the time at which the first men went 'over the top' and two or three of the bellringers will be taking turns to toll the tenor bell - the heaviest of the eight."

Churches across the UK will be tolling their bells at the same time in memory of those who died during the battle.