CHURCHGOERS are celebrating the anniversary of a set of historic bells which first rang out in Bolton 200 years ago by holding a festival in Australia.

The eight bells from the former St George's Church in Bolton now reside in the Australian town of Wangaratta, Victoria, which bought them for around £1,200.

The bells were destined for the scrapheap after the church, in St George's Road, Bolton town centre, closed in July, 1975.

The eight-bell set, in the key of E, was cast in 1806 to celebrate Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

It hung in St George's for 171 years, ringing out on occasions including the 25th anniversary of King George V's coronation in 1936, and the end of the Second World War in 1945. The bells, weighing from 300 to 974kg, were shipped to Australia in 1977, but lay idle outside Wangaratta's Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral until enough money was available for a tower to be built.

They first rang out in 1987, and are believed to be the oldest bells in Australia.

Father Michael O'Brien, dean of Holy Trinity and a bell ringer since the age of 10, describes their sound as "sweet" and is thrilled that a town the size of Wangaratta should have a set in such good condition.

To celebrate the bells' bicentenary, a festival is being held this month in Wangaratta which will mark the city's links with Bolton and culminate in an attempt at a peal lasting close to three hours.

The Rev Michael Boyle, from Victoria, Australia, said: "I had been aware that the bells of Wangaratta Cathedral had come from a redundant church in England, but it was only recently that I found out they were the bells from St George's in Bolton.

"I felt a personal interest, because my ancestors on my mother's side were Bolton people. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit the town in 2003, and developed an immediate affection for the home of my forebears."

The rural city of Wangaratta lies 146 miles north-east of Melbourne. The region is famous for its food and wine, and a gateway to Victoria's ski fields.