Five bells gifted to a church by the News of the World 50 years ago are off to a new home.

From 1935, a single bell called worshippers to prayer at All Saints in Murston. All that changed three decades later when the publication asked Canterbury Cathedral to find a needy parish which would like the five bells mounted on top of its building in Bouverie Street, London.

Murston was chosen and a fund set up to raise the £300 needed for the installation of the bells, which are replicas of the famous “Westminster Chimes” you hear just before London’s Big Ben strikes the hour. Each one weighed a tonne.

In an article published in the newspaper on March 21, 1965, Rector Reverend Arthur Luman said: “The bells are worth more than £2,000 and I cannot express how grateful I am for this generous gift.”

There was much excitement as parishioners welcomed The Rt Rev Kenneth Warner, the then Assistant Bishop of Canterbury, for a special dedication service before they rang out across the village.

Over the years, the structure which supported them began to age and in 2006, at the request of Canterbury Diocese, the Kent County Association of Change Ringers carried out an inspection.

It was agreed that expensive work would need to be done in order for the bells to ring correctly as well as address safety concerns.

They have remained silent since then and by 2013 it was agreed they should be taken down and stored safely before their being used in a new location – St Nicholas Church in Strood.

A group of volunteers removed them.

Speaking on behalf of the congregation, priest-in-charge the Reverend George Rogers, said: “We are sad to see the bells go, but hope that when they are safely installed in their new home, they will be a gift that keeps on giving, bringing joy to all who hear them ring.”