The bells of ChristChurch Cathedral have been blessed anew after repairs in England. 

The 13 bells that made up the peal were buried in debris after the February 2011 earthquake.

The metal of one bell was badly cracked while the fittings and frames of all the bells that hold the bells were destroyed.

The bells were sent back to John Taylor’s Bell Foundry in Loughborough, England, where they were cast in 1978.

A new bell has been added to the peal to commemorate those who died in the February earthquake. 

This has been dedicated to the late Joyce Newton who supported the bellringers with donations from a book she had published.

Joyce was aware of the bell bearing her name and her family was represented at the blessing ceremony in the Transitional Cathedral last Sunday.

The bells will be stored until the full peal can be rung out again over the city.