THOSE who believe in the words of the song Get Me To The Church On Time have every reason to expect 'the bells are gonna chime' on their wedding day.

However, one Ealing couple, who have chosen to tie the knot in a church 300 miles from their home, had quite a bit of work to do to ensure their special day is sounded to the world in the traditional way.

Steve Edwards, 35, and his fiancee Victoria Hope, 26, of Grange Park, Ealing Broadway, were determined nothing was going to stop them marrying in St Cynog's Church, in the small Welsh village of Boughrood, in Brecon - not even the fact that its bells no longer worked.

Undaunted by frayed ropes, resident pigeons and other apparent barriers, Mr Edwards and Miss Hope gamely set about arranging for the sweet sound of ringing bells to echo in the valleys once more.

The work, which included donning overalls and scraping a few inches of pigeon droppings out of the belfry, was completed several months ago and was a complete success, meaning everything is on track for the big event on April 30 next year.

Mr Edwards, an IT project manager for an investment bank, said: "Victoria and I are both from Wales originally. We met in a wine bar in Bow Lane, London, in 2005 and got engaged at Christmas 2008.

"I moved here five years ago following a friend's recommendation and loved it the minute I got off the Tube.

"We decided we wanted to do everything the traditional way and back in Wales, and it was while we were on a drive in Brecon that Victoria spotted St Cynog's."

So captivated were they, that despite not even being regular church-goers in Ealing, the couple started making trips once a month to attend Sunday service in Boughrood.

Mr Edwards explained: "We just felt it would be right to become part of the church community rather than just book it and use it for one day.

"The trip is a bit arduous but it is also beautiful and we do enjoy it. It's meant a lot to us how quickly we were accepted by the locals.

"It was after a few months of attending that we mentioned to the vicar what a shame it was the bells never rang - and that's when we learned about what needed to be done and decided to do it.

"Llangoed Hall country hotel, where we are having the reception, found out and sent out a press release to the local media, which somehow got picked up by the nationals and went global.

"We were a bit overawed, as several of the stories embellished things a little to make us sound like real heroes - but, in fact, we never saw it that way and just did what we felt we needed to make our wedding as special as possible."

Miss Hope, a PA for a software firm, added: "I wasn't that keen when Steve suggested I scrape pigeon poo out of a church tower, but it ended up being more fun than I thought.

"The bells rang for the first time in years on Easter Sunday and we felt so proud to have made that happen.

"Our best man is also pleased because he now has plenty of material for his speech."

Reverend Ian Charlesworth, vicar at St Cynog's, said: "It's wonderful to see two people throwing themselves into the life of the church. Couples like them are our lifeblood.

"They travelled a great distance for the fresh air of rural mid-Wales, which I think is a real sign of their commitment both to us and to getting married. Of course, they do have Welsh roots and we really enjoy having them along for services and are looking forward to the big day."

To any other Ealing couples who fancy getting married at his church, Mr Charlesworth added:

"We are in need of a new organist. They'd be needed three Sundays a month and while we couldn't pay travel expenses, we would be happy to throw in tea and sandwiches!"