An English village church bell silent for 150 years is finally ringing again after a family shipped it to a wedding chapel - in Australia.

The bell once rang for worshippers at St James church in Upton in Somerset - but now heralds newlyweds in Green Point, New South Wales.

Cherie Reid, who built the wedding chapel at Kantara House in Oz, rescued the bell - which dates from about 1550 - from disrepair in the UK.

She then travelled to Britain and flew it 9,500 miles home - using a crane to install it in its new home. It is now Australia's oldest ringing church bell.

Cherie said it had been difficult to source a bell in Australia.

She said: "Most of them are for schools and there's nothing of the calibre of the one I sourced in the UK."

"It has been such a wonderful journey to acquire this bell. I feel a sense of pride about the final outcome.''"

Mrs Reid sourced the bell from the Kelket Trust which helps churches acquire surplus or redundant bells to be hung for English-style full-circle bell-ringing.

Shen then had to travel to the UK to retrieve it and later had it refurbished in Cork, Ireland.

The original 14th Century church of St. James in Exmoor National Park was replaced in 1870 without a bell tower.

Its two ancient bells sat silent until they were sold - one to St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham and now one to Australia.

The family had to use a crane to lift it into the tower - which involved removing the roof.

Karina Reid, Cherie's daughter, said the experience of hearing the bell ring was "incredible"."

She said: "I remember the first time we rang the bell, it was the end of such a process."

''I truly thought my mum was mad importing a bell from the UK to put in her tower.

"I was a little concerned because the bell looked huge. After picking it up, we hid it in the garage so it wouldn't be stolen."

"I only realised recently - who was going to steal it? It was too big."

"We have a piece of England's history ringing in our chapel. The whole journey has just been so wonderful.''"