Last Friday David Lammy visited North Harringay Primary School to launch their newly restored school bell.

He joined Headteacher Helen Connor and pupils Gabriel Yeboah, Euan Smith-McKay and Margarita Rossero as they celebrated the return of their old Victorian bell to the school on Falkland Road.

The bell tower was erected in 1893, when the school was built, but taken down in the 1950s.

Headteacher Helen Connor takes up the story:

"One of our parents applied to Haringey Council for a Making The Difference grant to have the bell refurbished and reinstalled in the tower.

"We're absolutely thrilled to have it ringing again. Part of the restoration work was to install an electronic timer so that it rings first thing in the as well as morning and lunch breaks."

The bell was restored and installed by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry thanks to £3,400 from the council's Making the Difference scheme.

To mark the bell being back in use, the school organised a special ceremony and a special Victorian day to echo the time when it was first used more than 100 years ago. Pupils dressed up in Victorian costumes, each year sang old London songs and an assembly was organised as it would have been in Victorian times.

David Lammy commented:

“Today marks not only a new chapter in the story of North Harringay Primary School’s bell, but also gives us all: pupils, parents, teachers and local residents the opportunity to reflect on the proud Victorian heritage of Tottenham and Green Lanes. I am especially thrilled to launch the bell today and commend the school and parents on how they worked with Haringey Council to get this fantastic project funded.”