'Antiques at the Inn' is set to be staged by the St Cleer Ringers on Sunday, November 14 at The Market Inn. The afternoon will raise funds towards the £180,000 needed to restore the bells in the village church.

Paul Pentland of Liskeard Auction Rooms has given his time and expertise free of charge and will be the valuer on the day.

“It should be an entertaining afternoon,” said tower captain Ian Banbury.

“And it’s not just about antiques of course. Anything from works of art and jewellery to toys, ceramics and glassware can be brought along for Paul to cast his expert eye over.”

The cost per item to be valued will be £2, with a maximum of three items per person and a “star bargain” of £5 for three items.

The Church of St Clarus has had bells since the 16th century. Currently there are six in the tower, the oldest of which date back to 1789. Others have been re-cast several times over the centuries.

Now the plan is to make St Cleer tower one of the most impressive in Cornwall, introducing three extra bells to make a total of nine, which will give the ringers a lot more flexibility and scope.

A fund-raising campaign, started before the Covid outbreak, was put on hold during lockdown. But now new events are being planned, including a quiz night and an evening of talks on local history.

“We will be applying for grants from a number of sources and part of our submission will be to show that we are involving the local community in the campaign,” said Ian.

As part of the project, the current bells will be put on public display in the church once they are lowered. And when the new bells arrive, they too will be on display before the tricky task of lifting them into the tower begins.

Between the two operations, the frames and support mechanism in the tower will have to be re-designed, constructed and installed to house the increased number of bells.