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Campaigners are fighting a move to relocate a 300-year-old church bell across the Pennines.

The Church of England wants to remove the bell from the church tower of St John’s Church in Bacup , and transport it to Staincliffe in West Yorkshire.

A ‘Save the Bell’ campaign has now been started by Freddy Khattab and Tracy Zimmerman, a couple who want to turn the former church into their home, with the bell retained as a feature.

But church bosses want to see the bell kept in working order have applied for listed building consent for it to be removed from the Burnley Road church, which closed in 2010.

Stephen Anderson, chairman of Valley Heritage, said the Church of England should be supportive of the decision to retain heritage.

He said: “You would hope that the Church of England would have supported this idea to retain a piece of heritage in its home. We’ve got great heritage in the Valley and we don’t want to lose any of it. We want people to come and share it with us.”

The bell, which is one metre in diameter and weighs half a tonne, was cast in 1717, making it 300 years old next year.

Peter Wood, from the Rossendale Civic Trust, said: “Freddy and Tracy have been going to great lengths to retain much of the original features of this nationally recognised important part of our local heritage, which should be applauded and supported.”

Security consultant Freddy made an offer to buy the building in 2013.

Freddy, 45, said: “We were planning on keeping the bell in the church once the building was finished, but the diocese said they would like to take the bell.

“I thought it was unfair, they stripped the building from everything that was in it. It would be a real shame to take the bell away - it’s part of the history of the building.”

Freddy and Tracy have set up a Facebook group, St John the Evangelist Bacup, to keep local residents up to date with their campaign.

A spokesman for the Church Commissioners said: “Wherever possible, we look to find another suitable home, usually an open church building, for items including bells which are no longer required to support worship needs in closed churches.

“In the case of St John’s Bacup, we have identified a suitable home for the church bell in order for it to continue as part of the Church’s worship. On several occasions we have made Mr Khattab aware of the intention to relocate the bell and he has not raised objections to us over this matter, and he has also been made aware of the application to the local planning authority for listed building consent to authorise the bell’s removal.”

Wendy Watters, from the Bacup Natural History Society, said: “The History Society were offered the bell a number of years ago but we just didn’t have the space for it.

“In my opinion it’s better if it goes somewhere it’s going to be used.”

To comment on the proposals, email Bethan Frost at Rossendale council at bethanfrost@rossendalebc.gov.uk