Join a free introductory course to bell ringing organised by the Two Dales bell ringers.
For over five hundred years the Church Bells of Wensleydale and Swaledale have been resounding across our countryside. The sound of bells ringing is deeply rooted in English culture. They provide the grand soundtrack to our historic moments, call out for our celebrations and toll sadly in empathy with our grief.
However, for the first time since the second world war, in 2020 the bells fell silent. The Covid Lockdown halted ringing in the church towers. However, our teams of enthusiastic ringers were not deterred! The Wensleydale Ringers started getting together on-line to practise and learn, and this in turn created an excellent opportunity for those new to ringing to find out all about it and why so many have got the ringing bug.
In 2021 the Wensleydale ringers held a course of short interactive on-line presentations on the joy, techniques, and benefits of bell ringing. The course was enthusiastically participated in and resulted in 9 new recruits to ringing in the tower.
“I found the course both fun and interesting. Now I think I’m hooked!”.
In Spring 2022 we are holding a second course.
This time, as Covid restrictions permit, with hands-on training in our local towers interspersed with the on-line presentations.
We invite everyone to join us, from those who have simply wondered about how the bells are rung through to those interested in whether bell ringing is for them.
Bell ringing is a team activity that keeps your brain active and your body agile. Some do it for the community of friends, some do it to contribute to Church life, some to keep the glorious sound of bells alive, and some do it for the pure pleasure and feeling of well-being it brings.
''When I'm ringing I forget all the tensions and frustrations of the day''.
In the North East Dales we have over 80 active ringers of different ages, male and female. Some of us attend church but others do not: there is no requirement to be a church-goer. Whether your interest is theoretical, or whether you are wondering if bell ringing could be for you, we invite you to join the first of our on-line evening sessions and take it from there.
Bell ringing does not require great strength and we have had children as young as 10 learning in Wensleydale. Many others learn in retirement.
If you are interested in finding out more about what the sessions entail and how to participate, please email David at wensleydaleringers@gmail.com with your name and contact details.
Alternatively, you can contact us via Facebook at Wensleydale Ringers
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The bell towers participating in this course are at the churches of Askrigg, Aysgarth, Grinton, Richmond, and Kirkby Malzeard and those living within reach of those churches are particularly welcome to participate in the course.
The times and dates of sessions will be arranged in agreement with participants. We intend our first session to be in late February.
