Church hosts first wedding 'in living memory'

A man from Cheltenham who was the first person to have a marriage ceremony in his local church "in living memory" has started a fundraising campaign to repair its bell.

Marc Minall and his new wife Roz had the ceremony in Woodmancote Church on 17 October 2026, using a nightclub speaker to play the sound of ringing bells as they left the church.

Marc has now set up a fundraiser towards the cost of repairing the bell, which has been estimated at approximately £30,000.

The church has stood in Woodmancote since 1854 and was described by Marc as "the heart of the community".

The Grade II-listed building is a centre for community activities in Woodmancote, including the event that convinced Marc and Roz to get married there.

"Roz is really into crafts and one day they had a craft afternoon in the church," said Marc.

"We decided to pop in and the welcome that we got was unbelievable, the people in there were so friendly."

When Marc asked if they could have a small, intimate wedding ceremony in the church, they were told that there had not been a wedding there "in living memory".

A fault had been found with one of the bell's suspension wires in 2024, meaning that it had to be removed.

This led to Marc and Roz purchasing a nightclub speaker to "loop the sound of the bell".

The online crowdfunder page set up by Marc has raised approximately £1,300 so far, but he and other members of the community in Woodmancote said that there will be plenty of opportunities to raise the money in future, such as a mini festival and a sponsored car wash.

The fundraising efforts have also helped to bring the local community together, with a local pub landlord also getting involved.

"It's absolutely brought us all closer," said Marc.

"We've had people coming into the church who have never been in before - the community is fully behind this."

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