A Peal Appeal!

Deputy Lord Mayor’s Blog 37

Visitors will recall an earlier item in this blog singing the praises of Birmingham’s bellringers and the St Martin’s Guild of Church Bell Ringers. They are now looking for 100 new recruits to man the ropes at churches across the Diocese. An attempt to ring all the bells on Easter Sunday has highlighted the shortage of ringers in the region. Over 300 bells and only 200 bellringers means that some will be ringing at up to five different towers on Sunday morning!

It’s not a lack of quality though, just quantity. Birmingham’s bellringers are among the best in the country. Guild Master Simon Linford explains the problem: “We regularly win the most prestigious competition in bellringing, but we didn’t field a team in the National Young Person’s competition last month. Next year I don’t just want us to enter – I want us to win that too.”

The Guild recently ran a training course at the Birmingham School of Ringing to train more bellringing teachers – including young teachers. The School’s home is St Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter which has modern facilities for church towers including silenced bells and computer simulation. It is now hoped that the school can teach next year’s competition winners.

But it is not just new young ringers who are sought. Simon explains: “Anyone can learn to ring – it is just a bit easier when you are young. Ringing is an excellent hobby at any age and can take you around the country and even around the world.”

If you would like to learn to ring, please contact Simon Linford as:

Simonhippo@hotmail.com

or ring him on 07747 866688