VILLAGERS had the chance to make music as part of a fundraising event at the weekend.

Members of St Martin’s Church in Worle are busy raising nearly �35,000 to maintain the bells at the Church Road site.

A timetable has been produced for the work, which includes sending the six bells off for refurbishment on January 9.

The oldest of the St Martin’s bells dates back to 1683 and the last time any of them were re-tuned was 1908.

They will be transported to a bell foundry in London in January and Nicholas Engineering, a company of bell hangers and iron smiths, will refurbish the tower in the meantime.

The bells will be dismantled over three days and will be returned and re-installed, hopefully by March 19 in time for Easter services.

As part of the church’s latest set of fundraising initiatives, a coffee morning was held there on Saturday.

The choir performed for visitors and there was an opportunity to view the tower and ring the bells.