BBC Repair Shop appeal to fix up old Sleaford school bell after amazing find by river clean up crew

Simon Barr, a volunteer from the River Slea Clean Up group brought it into Kesteven and Sleaford High School on Monday (June 2) after fishing it out near the footbridge at Sainsbury’s the day before.

He explained: “Volunteers with River Slea Clean Up group meet on the first Sunday of every month to work on the river from The Hub down to Cogglesford Mill or up into town.

"We were working on the stretch near the little footbridge on Sunday and just as we were about to finish, something caught my eye.”

Due to health and safety rules the volunteers are not allowed to enter the river and so work from the banks with nets and rakes.

Simon said: “It was heavy and as I moved it around a bit I thought it looked like a bell. I ended up kneeling in the nettles and emptied my pockets in case I fell in as I was determined to get it out. Between me and my son we lifted it out and found it was indeed a brass bell, with some engraving on it.

"It is about a foot long with a carved wooden handle and is probably made of lead with a brass coating that has started to come away.”

Simon took it home to wash and polish it to make the engraving more visible, then, after some research, it was discovered that the bell was presented to the school by High School Alumni in 1930 to commemorate 21 years of Miss Kirk's headship. She became headmistress in 1909 and retired in 1944, dying in 1951 aged 72.

Simon suspected the old bell may have been stolen as a prank some years before and tossed in the river and he hoped it could be restored.

He admitted they normally pull used vapes, traffic cones, road signs, bottles, glasses and cans from the river bed and so in the couple of years he has been volunteering it was the most unusual thing he had found.

The inscription reads: 'Presented by the London branch of the Old Girls Association in honour of Miss Kirk's 21 years as Head of the Kesteven and Sleaford High School'.

Josephine Smith current headteacher of the school said: "We were delighted to have such a great part of our school's history returned to us. We will return it to our school archives after having it on display for students and visitors to see.

"We are so grateful for its return. We posted a photo of it on our school media feed and have had some lovely messages from ex-students of the school.”

She added: "We are hoping that the BBC Repair Shop might be interested in it. It's certainly in need of some restoration and care! We have no idea how or when it ended up in the River Slea but we are glad to have it back for safekeeping."