PARISHONERS of All Saints Church in Merton had their prayers definitely answered last week when they celebrated the homecoming of three old friends. On Friday the church took delivery of the three bells, which were stolen during restoration at a Tavistock workshop in August, and became the focus of national media attention. It was feared that the bells, worth £30,000 ? with one dating back to the 1420s and two from the Victorian period ? were stolen for their scrap value, but remarkably they were ?discovered? in a scrapyard in Greater Manchester last month, relatively undamaged. Mary Ford, a churchwarden at All Saints, was delighted to see the bells restored to the bell tower. She told the Times: I was absolutely amazed. I had been praying they would be found but inside I had my doubts and didn?t think they would. I thought that even if they had been found they would be broken up as normally these days this sort of thing is stolen to order. The fact that they were undamaged is a minor miracle in itself. ?I was close to tears when the bells returned ? especially when I saw the Exeter bell, which dates back to 1420. If you think of all that?s happened in the world since that bell was first in the tower it?s amazing. ?All of us are convinced that it was an answer to our prayers. ?All the parishoners would like to thank the police for their hard work and efforts in finding them, and especially for the sensitivity in which they handled the case.? The three bells have now joined the three other bells in the tower?s bell frame. The bells at All Saints have not rung for more than 20 years but the parishioners are hoping they soon will be hearing them peal again. The cost of restoring all six bells is around £6,000 ? threequarters of which has been raised by a special bell fund. More events have been organised to help secure the monies, although water coming into the roof of the 15th century church tower will cost another £3,000. However, the relieved parishoners of All Saints held a special harvest thanksgiving service on Sunday led by the Reverend Martin Warren. Mr Warren must have brought a few grins to members of the congregation as one of the hymns he chose for the service included ?Ding Dong Merrily on High?. RIGHT: Church bells fund chairman Brian Nancekivell and bell restorer Pete Bazeley with the returned bells. Picture by Ian Snell