Like most ringers, I am already missing ringing church bells with my band. I am especially sad that bands may not be ringing bells around this country for months. The sound of bells is important to those who ring them and to those who appreciate hearing them. So I had in idea. I approached the rector at St. Anne’s Limehouse (London), about ringing by myself before the normal Sunday service time. St. Anne’s is a short walk from where I live so I don’t have to use public transportation to get to the church. I plan to ring the service bell for 15 minutes and then chime on all 10 bells, one by one. The rector has approved and welcomed my plan. My hope is that ringers around the country can continue to ring the bells at their local church. In fact, we may be able to mobilise ringing at many more churches than those normally rung by bands, as we now just need one person per church to ring the bells. Please reach out to your local church and ask to ring before the normal Sunday service. Who knows, your ringing may inspire many new learners, when COVID-19 is no longer impacting the health of our family, friends and neighbours. I believe that we can help our communities as we continue to ring the bells. Ring locally, dear bell ringers of the UK!
This is wonderful news, Dorinda. I live nearby, too. I only just discovered the source of the ringing as I do not usually work from home. I heard it daily from 945 onwards. I noticed it didn’t ring out today. I hope all is well. Please do keep up the ringing it is terrific to hear in these times. Maureen