St. Andrew’s church in GREAT RYBURGH, south of Fakenham, will hold a concert to celebrate not only ENGLAND’S DAY but also the 4ooth Anniversary of a great Englishman – WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. The concert will consist of singers and musicians who will play music set to his words and sonnets and other composers of the time.  The concert will start at 3 pm followed by afternoon tea. St. Andrew’s is one of the many distinctive and lovely Round Tower churches in Norfolk which has a ring of 6 bells.  These bells will round off the concert by being rung by the volunteer ringers at 6 o’clock to celebrate England’s Patron Saint ST.GEORGE.  For more information on this special event please go to their web site: www.standrewsgreatryburgh.org.uk   All are most welcome.

The World’s highest and the World’s heaviest ringing peal of bells – 13 of them will be ringing out across Merseyside to celebrate ST. GEORGE’S Day.  The cathedral of LIVERPOOL was described by the late Sir John Betjeman as ‘One of the great buildings of the World’ as it sits high on St. James’s Mount overlooking the city.  Started by the late Giles Gilbert Scott at the age of just 22, this amazing building is the 5th largest cathedral in the World and after final completion was dedicated as recently as 1978.  So many world records and its bells, rung by a wonderful band of volunteers, will be letting the nation know its ENGLAND’S Day.

Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool

The Hand Bells of GB are now supporting the RforE Campaign and the East Anglian team will be celebrating their 10th Anniversary as they also celebrate ST.GEORGE’S Day on Saturday April 23rd.  You are all invited to listen to these amazing ringers as they play out well known and favourite music on their hundreds of bells.  The concert, starting at 7 pm will be open to everyone and will be held at THAXTED church of St. John the Baptist in Watling Street, a stunning building sitting high on a hill.  Contact details e mail: ros_willis@hotmail.com or phone : 01234 823 811 .  Go and support them and have a great evening.

So many wonderful churches across DEVON will be ringing out for ST.GEORGE including All Saints in HUNTSHAM with 8 bells situated in Huntsham Court famous as a venue for weddings. And St. Budeaux in PLYMOUTH, in the heart of The Royal Navy and famous for being the church where Sir Francis Drake married, it too will ring out on its 6 bells.  And not least St. Peter’s in TIVERTON with 8 bells (seen below), overlooking the River Exe and described by Pevsner as a church with ‘a gorgeously ostentatious display of civic pride’.  All ringing for ENGLAND’S Patron Saint on April 23rd.

St.Kyneburgha in CASTOR will be ringing ‘April Day Triples’ from its 8 bells.  St.Marys in the City of PETERBOROUGH will ring ‘St. George & The Dragon Bob Minor’ and ‘St. George of England Doubles’ from its 8 bells And then there will be PETERBOROUGH Cathedral, with its unique and magnificent three arches at its front, will ring out even louder for ST.GEORGE with its 12 bells helping to celebrate England’s Patron Saint and create a great day.

HEREFORD cathedral has 10 bells (whose ring apparently is known as ‘Great Old Lady’) that will ring out across the beautiful Malvern Hills and down the green sweep of the Wye Valley letting everyone know its ST.GEORGE’s day.  A celebrated cathedral in that it houses not only one of the four remaining Magna Carta documents dating from 1217 but also the unique Mappa Mundi, said to be the second largest of old maps drawn up on a single sheet of vellum.  In more recent times, 1724, a remarkable choir festival was formed which became so popular the counties of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire joined and has now become the famous 3 Choirs Festival which continues to thrive. So there is plenty to see and plenty to hear in HEREFORD.

Sussex towers in both East and West will be ringing out for England’s Patron Saint.  Amongst the churches in the East will be St. Andrews in the award winning village of ALFRISTON who will hear its 6 bells in celebration.  In West Sussex the pupils of the CofE First School in AMBERLEY will be ringing for England and for ST.GEORGE.  There will be 17 specially chosen pupils who will have the honour of taking to the ropes for the first time and ringing from the tower of St. Michaels, a Grade 1 listed church with 5 bells.  Visit this beautiful village which has a castle next to the church and give then a great cheer on Friday 22nd. Below is the church of St. Michael.

Listen out for there will be many bells ringing from the county of NORTHAMPTONSHIRE for ST.GEORGE.  Some of those joining in will be St.Helen’s in Sibbertoft with 5 bells, St. Mary’s in Welford with 8 bells and a ST.GEORGE’s in Evenley with 5 bells pictured below. They will all be celebrating ENGLAND’S DAY, ST. GEORGE’S DAY by ringing out on April 23rd.

This time its the West Riding of Yorkshire that will be represented not only by lovely churches but also its WAKEFIELD Cathedral. The building was redesigned by the architect Sir Gilbert Scott and now has the tallest spire in Yorkshire.  Though it houses a ring of 14 great bells only 12 are normally rung but they will still make a magnificent sound ringing out across the rolling dales by their volunteer ringers and all for ST.GEORGE, England’s Patron Saint. Listen out and cheer them on.

The Handbells of UK have joined the Campaign and there will be events across the country helping to celebrate England’s Day, St. George’s Day on Saturday April 23rd.  One such event will be at HAGLEY in Worcestershire  in St. John’s Church where the Hand Bell Ringers of St. John’s Church and Halesowen will give a concert to celebrate the special day where they will play a selection of traditional and well known music.  They will also give readings from Shakespeare to celebrate Will’s 400th Anniversary. The village is famous for its Hagley Hall and for the importance in being the oldest parish registry in the country dating from 1538. The address is: St. John The Baptist, Hagley Hall Park, Hall Lane, Hagley, DY9 9LG.  The concert starts at 7.30 and for more information contact Coralie Paxton on : corrie.paxton@virgin.net.  Have a great evening.