St Mary Magdalene
New Bells for Richmond
raised of £240,000 target
- September 2026 -
Preachathon hits the ringers’ target
The Richmond bell ringers celebrated an astonishing finale to their fund raising campaign for new bells on September 22. By the end of the Richmond Preachathon the event had raised £22,317 to be shared with the Richmond Soup Kitchen. A further £900 was raised by the auction of an original sketch donated by the Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler.
The Preachathon was a dawn to dusk marathon by the vicar of St Mary Magdalene, the Rev Robert Stanier. It was supported by a range of local personalities including Sophie Raworth, Greg Dyke, Axel Scheffler and the Rev Canon Giles Fraser who joined Robert for interview and discussion.
‘I feel elated to have completed the challenge and pleased that it worked on several levels,’ said Robert whose guests included a sixth form group from Christ’s School whose students quizzed the vicar in a question and answer session. ‘I feel it was a good event for the church in Richmond.’
Vicar Robert Stanier speaks with Councillor Nancy Baldwin, Mayor of Richmond-upon-Thames
Vicar Robert Stanier alongside the total raised
Sophie Raworth, accompanied by her dog Luna, talked about the potential impact of AI on news reporting, Students from Christ’s School and the Richmond MP Sarah Olney by video, asked about Christian attitudes to assisted dying - and were told there’s not much guidance from the scriptures. Greg Dyke asked about the afterlife and Robert said he believed he would experience everlasting life but was not sure what form it would take.
Almost 500 people visited the church during the day to hear Robert preaching and explaining the context to well and lesser known biblical passages.
Parishioners needn’t expect more marathon preaching just yet. Robert said ‘I’ll be back to my usual 12-minute sermons next week.’
We thank everyone for their support
The bells of St Mary Magdalene, Richmond have rung out for the last time. On Sunday June 14 2026 a band of mostly local ringers rang a quarter peal of Plain Bob Triples to mark the end of three centuries of ringing on the bells. Five new bells have been cast and will join the three oldest bells, made in 1680, that are being retained. By Christmas the work will be done and a joyful sound will spread across the town.
The Richmond ringers are immensely grateful for every contribution as they enter the next stage of their fund raising campaign. The target is £240,000 and if that is surpassed it will be possible to refurbish the ringing room and restore the historic peal boards that record ringing feats going back to the 18th century.
Crucially, the new bells will be easier to ring, giving learners the opportunity to flourish and help St Mary Magdalene play its part in securing the art of ringing for generations to come.