Handbells dating from the 1800s have been restored and are ready to ring in a new era.

Now the instruments have been newly refurbished, thanks to the work of Suzanne Rands and the Coastal Handbells, a bell-ringing group founded last year.

The two sets of bells are from St Nicholas Church in Wells and St Withburga in Holkham, and consist of 17 and 15 bells respectively.

It was not the first time Mrs Rands, who has rung the church bells at St Nicholas since 1972, has tried to set up a group to use the bells, which had long gone unused. 

Fakenham & Wells Times: A pair of the newly refurbished handbells, which the Coastal Handbells group will be playing in the new year A pair of the newly refurbished handbells, which the Coastal Handbells group will be playing in the new year (Image: Denise Bradley)

She said: “We had a lot of people ask why we were not using them, we stopped it because they needed repairing, but after putting them back, it did not come back into my head until last year to sort out.

“It's silly to have these wonderful things unusable.”

Fakenham & Wells Times: The complete set of handbells from St Nicholas Church in WellsThe complete set of handbells from St Nicholas Church in Wells (Image: Suzanne Rands)

The Wells instruments are from Blews Bells, from a company which operated in the 1800s until it closed in 1861.

Mrs Rands said little was known about the source of the Holkham handbells, despite research in both Holkham and Wells church archives regarding their purchase.

But she said she thought the bells were obtained in the early 1900s.

Fakenham & Wells Times: The complete set of handbells from St Withburga in HolkhamThe complete set of handbells from St Withburga in Holkham (Image: Suzanne Rands)

Fakenham & Wells Times: Coastal Handbells founder Suzanne Rands, with the newly refurbished instruments which she has helped bring back to playing standardCoastal Handbells founder Suzanne Rands, with the newly refurbished instruments which she has helped bring back to playing standard (Image: Denise Bradley)

Coastal Handbells raised £5,000 through events and donations to pay for the bells' restoration, and they drew donations from the churches, the Holkham Foundation, Wells Carnival Committee and the general public. 

Both sets were taken to a business in Crayford, Dartford, to be restored in January - before being given back to the group a few months ago.

Around 10 people have already joined the bell-ringing group, which plans to start meeting towards the end of January.

Fakenham & Wells Times: A pair of the newly refurbished handbells, which the Coastal Handbells group will be playing in the new yearA pair of the newly refurbished handbells, which the Coastal Handbells group will be playing in the new year (Image: Denise Bradley)