CHURCH bells will be ringing out in 28 communities across Dartmoor as part of an arts project which has just received a Heritage Lottery grant of £24,827.
Princetown-based Aune Head Arts (AHA) has been awarded the money for its project, ?Dartmoor Changes?, which will celebrate bell ringing and its significance to the customs, traditions and cultural heritage of each village.
Joint project co-ordinator Andy Stevens said there would be a series of listening walks around the churches while the bells were being rung and talks with the ringers about the history of the towers? bells.
There would also be a visit to the ringing chamber, and if safety permitted people would be allowed to climb up to the bell chambers to see the bells.
Mr Stevens is looking for locations where he can put together easy circular walks where there is a nearby pub so walkers and ringers can share a pint and talk about their experiences.
A CD will be made of each of the towers, and interviews will be recorded with ringers and parish residents about the significance of the bells to them, to village life and how the bells feature in differing secular and non-secular celebrations and occasions.
Photographs will also be taken during the process.
At the end of this 18-month project, Aune Head Arts will host two celebrations of bell ringing ? one on the north moor and one on the south moor.
It is hoped that some new bell ringing enthusiasts will be discovered along the way.
If anyone would like to get involved in any aspect of the project they should contact Aune Head Arts on 01822 890 539.