AN iconic piece of artwork has been installed at Par Beach to sound the alarm on climate change and rising sea levels.
The bell was erected on Thursday (April 20) after a two-and-a-half-year campaign from the Friends of Par Beach.
Part of a national project, there are thirteen Time and Tide Bells installed in coastal locations across the UK.
There are also bells in the Isle of Wight, Devon and Yorkshire – however, the installation in Par is Cornwall’s first and only bell.
Designed by UK sculptor Marcus Vergette and Australian bell designer Neil McLachlan, the bell is designed to chime twice a day – once as the tide comes in, and again when it goes out.
The bell draws attention to the reality of climate change and sea level rise and will, in the future, be obscured by the sea.
“The main aim of the project is to highlight global warming and rising sea levels. This is one of the main reasons Par was chosen, as behind the dunes, parts of the village are below sea level.
“We’re in a position where sea level change is going to affect us, whether that’s in ten years or 110 years,” says Richard Parkes, who led the Friends of Par Beach bid to install the bell.
The bell, which was donated, is estimated to be worth around £30,000. However, the group had to raise £10,000 for the installation costs, through crowdfunding, selling calendars and asking local companies for donations.
The group also had to gain permission to place the bell on the beach from land owners and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).
However, Parkes insisted the bureaucracy was worth it: “We’re very excited to have finally got to the stage of installing it.
It will really add something to the area, and a lot of people will be really chuffed this bell is here,” he said.
Janice and Nick Hillier, who are also committee members of Friends of Par Beach, said the bell has significance to the community.
“Each bell is tailored to its local area and this one takes into account the industrial and natural heritage of Par.
Part of the bell’s structure is made from clay materials, which represents clay country,” they said.
“As this is the only bell in Cornwall we hope it will interest people and bring tourism to a less wealthy area. Hopefully, there will be growing pride and an appreciation of what’s been achieved,” they added.
On May 27, there will be an official inauguration of the Time and Tide bell on Par Beach, with local school children ringing the bell and a celebration with performances and activities.
Marcus Vergette, the sculptor who designed the bell, praised the community of Par for their perseverance in bidding for a bell.
“I sit in a room and make drawings but the rest of the credit goes to the people in Par.
There are only a very few special places that have had the strength in their community to install a bell because it is a demanding process.”
He said the bell has a “unique harmonic structure”, which sounds more uplifting than a church bell as it rings in a major chord.
“It’s a marker of sea level but also an expression of hope – without hope we wouldn’t do anything,” he added.
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