Fundraisers turned back the clock on Sunday when church bells rang out for the first time in 40 years.

Scores of people turned up to hear the chimes at St Andrew's Church, in Waterloo Street, Hove, proving the church had not lost any of its appeal.

The chime struck a chord with 93-year-old Bert Hobden, who sang in the choir at St Andrew's when he was 11 and has raised thousands of pounds to help restore the Grade I listed building.

He said: "I'm very fond of that church so it was very touching to see the clock and its chimes restored like this. It brought back memories when I heard it pealing 12 times for the first time in years."

Mr Hobden used to ring the church bell before services when he was a choirboy more than 80 years ago. After the war, he married his childhood sweetheart Lillian at St Andrew's and despite moving away, he returned there to have his son and daughter christened there.

The three clock faces and striking mechanism, which date back to 1869, were taken down for restoration earlier this year. Corrosion by the sea air had stopped them working.

The Friends of St Andrew's Church raised more than £2,000 for the work, which was matched by the building's owner the Churches Conservation Trust.

The inauguration of the chimes coincided with the church's 180th anniversary.

The chimes can now be heard across the seafront on the hour from 8am to 10pm.

Ellie Sampson, former chairwoman of the Friends of St Andrew's Church, said: "St Andrew's is probably the only church in the city whose bell now regularly chimes."

The church was designed by Charles Barry and built in 1828 as a privately owned chapel to serve Brunswick Town.

It no longer holds regular services but is often used as a community centre. The church is open to the public every Sunday from 2pm to 4pm.

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