Cases full of handbells in all different sizes sit neatly on the community hall floor.

Tables complete with pads and pieces of music await their musicians who assemble one by one to start the evening's practice session.

These are members of Brereton Handbell Ringers going through their practice sessions at Ettiley Heath Church Community Centre in Ettiley Heath.

By day, the musicians hold all sorts of jobs from a reitred chemistry teacher to a Red Cross learning and development manager and church warden.

But once a week they meet and practice the art of handbell ringing which is similar in some ways to ringing bells in a church tower - except they are held upside down and follow a slightly different pattern.

Except this version is using much smaller bells which follow music often associated with Christmas but all kinds of seasons and types.

For as musical director, Georgina Buckler explained, the group's repertoire of music is diverse, from the Christmas favourite to modern day classics.

"Christmas is obviously our busiest time of year but we're busy throughout the year. We play a variety of music from Abba to the Beatles and Robbie Williams," said Georgina, who has a degress in music and plays the trambone.

The group gets invited to perform at a variety of places from WIs to theatres and it's easy to see why.

Members include Steve Coppenhall, who used to ring the bells at a local church.

"It's so easy to let yourself go and get immersed in the music, it's such a great thing to do," he said.

Steve's wife, Helen, a church warden at St Peter's Church in Elworth said: "It's a form of relaxation. All your worries seem to go away. I just love it."

Allen Fung who lives in Crewe is the group's newest member.

"It heard about it from St Peter's Church. I'd always wanted to have a go but never hand the chance. It's good to be part of a community."

The group meets on Tuesday evenings at Ettiley Heath Church Community Centre at 7.30 pm. New members are always welcome. Contact details are on their Facebook page here

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