St Mary Magdalene
New Bells for Richmond
raised of £240,000 target
- August 2026 -
Everything – and everyone – ready for the Preachathon
Vicar Robert Stanier introduces the 12-hour Preachathon
The countdown to the Richmond Preachathon has begun. The vicar is training hard for his marathon and the guests are sharpening their questions. Everyone is looking forward to a unique and memorable event.
The Rev Robert Stanier will be preaching, story-telling and unravelling the complexities of modern life in a 12-hour dawn to dusk epic that starts as the sun comes up on September 22. He will be in action from 6.47am until darkness officially falls at one minute to seven.
To help Robert through the long day we have invited an impressive cast of local celebrities to engage him in conversation and there will be music from the choir, other guest appearances and videos from well known supporters. And to show what a tough challenge this is, we will show Robert on film working on Olympic trainer Greg Whyte’s fitness programme. By Preachathon day we will have an exceptionally fit vicar.
Olympic trainer Greg Whyte introduces the 12-hour Preachathon
All this effort is in aid of New Bells for Richmond and the Richmond Soup Kitchen. The campaign to pay for the new bells has had terrific support since its launch last October and we are hoping that one final push will help us reach our target of £240,000.
And so to our friends far and wide we invite you come to St Mary Magdalene to support Robert on the day and to visit our Crowdfunder page to give what you can. The new bells are due to be installed in the tower before Christmas when the soup kitchen will be in full winter action on behalf of the needy.
Scan the QR code below or tap this link to find our Crowdfunder
Olympic trainer Greg Whyte coaches Rev. Robert Stanier in advance of the 12-hour Preachathon
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.