MOVE over Quasimodo! Prestwich Parish Church has got its own team of bell ringers!

For the past few months, a group of dedicated volunteers has been practising the fine art of bell ringing in the tower of St Mary's Church.

And, after making their debut on Easter Sunday, the team is ready to make sweet music together at any future events held at the church.

Since the First World War the tower has had eight bells but the number of people willing to operate the bells has dwindled and the church has been without a dedicated full team of bell ringers for 20 years.

For the past eight years or so, the church bells have been operated by a computerised system called the Quasimodo Chiming System but Rev Bryan Hackett, who became the priest-in-charge last year, wanted to bring back the manual tradition.

Rev Hackett said: "The computerised system was installed when there weren't enough people to operate the bells. A group of visiting ringers operated them for my licensing service last year and I began to ask if anyone in the parish wanted to learn. I got quite a few names together and arranged for them to have lessons."

Accomplished bell ringer Father Martin Daniels has been teaching the group since September and has attracted quite a diverse age range, from 13 to people in their 50s.

Rev Hackett said: "We have had so much positive feedback from people who enjoy hearing the bells being rung again. People are proud of their history in Prestwich and it is good that the bells can be heard again over the town at weddings and special occasions."

The church tower which houses the bells was built during the late 15th Century but by 1880 it was in need of restoration and a public subscription fund was started in 1882 to pay for the work.

The original bells were recast in 1721 and again in 1919, and new bells added to increase the peal to the current eight bells.

In November 1942 they were broadcast on the radio to a worldwide audience following the victory at El Alamein.