ALTON'S All Saints Parish Church has launched a £40,000 appeal to replace its aging bells.

Kept going over the past years by on-site running repairs, time is running out for the mighty messengers as wear and tear takes its toll.

Now the race is on to raise sufficient funds to replace the bells before they have to be taken down for safety reasons leaving the church steeple to stand silent and empty.

A full version of this story can be seen in the Alton Herald of October 15.