CHIMING a village church bell has demonstrated that a new Rector is in place – and hopes to be for the next decade.

Richard Banham has been doing the job of Rector of Wheathampstead for two years although his title up to now has been priest in charge.

But last month he was formally appointed to the post and a service of ‘rectification’, as dubbed by his parishioners, was conducted by the Ven Jonathan Smith at St Helen’s Church in Wheathampstead.

The tradition at the church is that towards the end of the service the new Rector should ring one of the bells to represent the number of years he expects to stay in the parish. Richard made a good job of chiming the lightest bell – and the slight pause between the first two chimes and the 10 which followed may be accounted for by the two years he has already served.