A GROUP of bellringers are caoming together once again to ring for the King, continuing a tradition held for decades.

The Stisted bellringers will have plenty to celebrate when they ring for the coronation of King Charles III tomorrow.

Three members of the team rang not only for the coronation, silver, golden and diamond jubilees and the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but also for the death of her father King George VI.

Tower captain Terry Earle and twins Terry and Tony Stock grew up and went to school together in Stisted.

They started bellringing in their teens and have since clocked up 210 years between them, learning complex sequences, ringing changes, tracking and encouraging others.

They have been made welcome to ring in towers throughout the UK and beyond.

Braintree and Witham Times: OLD SCHOOL: William Sibley, Terry Earle, Tony Stock, Alan Syder and Terry StockOLD SCHOOL: William Sibley, Terry Earle, Tony Stock, Alan Syder and Terry Stock (Image: N/A)

Tony said: “In the early days we might ring three times on a Sunday for the early morning service, family service and evening song.

"We used to ring from the ground floor and would see churchgoers and be photographed at the tower door alongside brides and grooms.”

Jackie Kelly has been ringing in the tower for five years and is combining her experience as a leading medical photographer to create a video in celebration of bellringing for the coronation.

The church says the sound of bells across the fields gives an "uplifting sense of timelessness, continuing a tradition that resonates over the centuries and generations".

Trainee vicar Tayrina Ferguson said: “The bells are as much part of the landscape of Stisted as any of the picturesque cottages or any of the open green spaces.

“They have certainly been part of my life since I moved into the village over 20 years ago.

“They rang for my wedding and for my children’s baptisms. And since I started to train for ordination, I’ve experienced them at all kinds of services.

“They are a beautiful part of worship that really sets the tone for what is going to happen inside the body of the church and are more than a historical call to the church.”

To learn the skill, visit the tower on the 2nd or 4th of every month.