The 50th anniversary of the rehanging of the eight bells in Ledbury Parish Church is to be celebrated next month with a bold attempt at a full peal.

The bell ringers of St Michael and All Angels will attempt what is generally considered the marathon event of bell ringing on Saturday, November 10.

So rarely is this attempted, that a successful 1,913 peal by the six ringers of St Philip and St James' Church, Tarrington, is still remembered with pride, thanks to a plaque in the bell tower.

Jane Mason, a spokeswoman for the Ledbury bellringers, said: "A full peal will be attempted from 2pm and, if successful, will last about three and a half hours. The ringing of a peal is a notable piece of teamwork and individual skill."

She said it would be a fitting tribute to all the work, effort and financial commitment necessary to rehand a set of church bells, some half a century ago.

The 1951 restoration involved the installation of a new metal frame, new bearings to improve the action of the bells and re-tuning. The bells and ropes were also repositioned to make a clockwise ringing circle.

If one mistake is made during the full peal, it does not count.

Following recent repair and strengthening work to the tower, Ledbury's bell ringers have refurbished the ringing chamber and improved the handling of the eight bells. Rope guides have been installed to help make rope control easier and the chamber has had a facelift.

Ledbury people will be able to view these improvements following the 9.30am service on Sunday, November 18. A quarter peal will be rung before the service and the tower will afterwards be open for inspection in a "meet your ringers" event.

Though Ledbury has enough ringers the full peal on November 10, they are always on the look out for more members.

For further details, ring 01531 636440 or 650096.