A church band has rung the bells in honour of a man who’s spent six decades on the ropes.

David Cooper has enjoyed a lifetime of ups and downs as he became a bellringer at St Matthew’s Blackmoor in 1965.

The ever-present has also roped his wife into the practice as Carol has been alongside him for the last 50.

Pupils past and present marked his 60 years of service with a quarter peel on Sunday (April 27). It was a touching display of pulling power with the bells ringing out for around 45 minutes in honour of the teacher.

“When I was a lad I lived in the village but there was very little for lads to do,” said David on how he became a ringer.

“I wasn’t allowed to join the youth group because there was a rough element and my mother wasn’t keen, so I started bellringing.

“I had a friend who started a few months before and I’ve been doing it ever since. There’s always something more to learn no matter how good you are.

“It’s also good for mental wellbeing and socially, as we do lots of things together aside from bellringing.”

“I met David when I was 18, and I asked him if I could see him on Friday,” said Carol, who is due to receive her Lifetime Membership Certificate for 50 years of ringing later this year.

“He said ‘I can’t, I’m bellringing’ and the rest is history.”

The team will reconvene in the ringing chamber next Thursday as they will ring the church’s six bells for an hour from 6.30pm to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day in a nationwide celebration.

The session will be open to the public but visitors must be at least one metre tall and able to climb 42 steps.