THE bell turret of a church that has been saved from the clutches of woodpeckers has been blessed.

A three-year project to restore the early 13th century bell turret of a Teme Valley church is complete and the work has been blessed by the Venerable Nikki Groake, Archdeacon of Dudley.

The restoration at St Michael’s and All Angels Church in Knighton-on-Teme cost of £213,000 and has saved a key feature of the church that dates back to Norman times.

Built in 1200, the bell turret was at risk because the existing cedar shingle roofing had been attacked by green woodpeckers, allowing water to penetrate and causing rotting of the timbers inside.

When the original roof was removed, it became apparent that no maintenance had been carried out on the structure since it was built 800 years ago.

The funding to replace the turret was raised largely thanks to two grants from the Heritage Lottery fund, which contributed around 70 per cent of the total.

Local fundraising and donations including community events raised the remainder of the money.

The new turret roof is a golden colour but will fade to a silver grey hue and is expected to be good for the next 120 years.

A group of 24 children in years five and six from the Lindridge Church of England Primary School have studied the turret, the history of the church and its surroundings and incorporated this into a wider educational Project.