CORNWALL’S only primary school with its own team of bellringers has won a national award.

Lerryn pupils were announced as the winners of The Sarah Beacham School Group Award by the Association of Ringing Teachers.

Runners-up in 2017, the school achieved the top prize this year in the prestigious award recognising groups promoting the art of bell ringing.

The path to the pupils’ success began three years ago when the bell ringers of St Mary’s, Braddock and St Winnow churches asked the school to become partners in a project to promote the traditional skill.

School monitoring councillor and bellringing captain Rob Pearce had the idea as he thought it would be a great opportunity to involve the children in a community project and showcase the fun of bell-ringing.

Rob said: ‘This project demonstrates how two small churches and a small school have engaged with young people and their parents and had fun. The whole group’s profile and involvement in the community has grown significantly because of their participation.

‘Thanks to the funding opportunities this created, we have been able to invest in our resources and now have an accessible state of the art teaching centre at our church at Braddock and 10 new bells at St Winnow Church.’

Bell ringers from the church meet the pupils each Friday morning, regularly helped by Roz Lee, parent and school monitoring councillor, and other parents.