LOCAL bell-ringer, Sheila Parry was treated to a peal of more than three hours on Saturday, January 27th to celebrate her 80th birthday.

The bells of St Mary’s Church, Abergavenny, rang out courtesy of members of the Llandaff & Monmouth Diocesan Association of Church Bellringers.

Among the ringers taking part in the marathon peal were, David Moore, Helen Phillips, Jane D. Bull, Philip Huxley, Andrew Phillips, Philip Hopkins, Peter Munday, Barry Hayman, Matthew Turner (conductor)and Andrew Bull; Nick Jones made the arrangements.

Sheila discovered just the night before that the peal would be attempted in honour of her birthday. She went along to listen and to be ready to greet the ringers when they came down from the tower.

A birthday toast was given and photographs taken of Sheila with her ringing friends thirty years to the day after the same bells rang out for Sheila’s 50th; on that occasion Sheila herself took part.

St Mary’s bells are described by many ringers as the ‘Best ring of 10’ in the world.

Sheila commented, ‘The sound of St Mary’s bells are as sweet to me as Westminster Abbey bells must be to the Queen.’