Do you live in PRESTON Lancashire? Your MINSTER (see picture below) with its wonderful 12 bells will be part of the challenge of a ‘Rolling Ring’ all around getting as many towers to ring out from early in the morning to the end of the day. The volunteer ringers will start at the church of St. Peter in Scorton with 8 bells. It will then send out a ripple of ringing throughout the day when the last tower might be Adlington. Who knows how many will ring so go and give them a cheer.
This most iconic of London’s buildings ST.PAUL’S will be ringing for ST.GEORGE. Its 12 bells will be rung by London University Students in the morning of Saturday making a wonderful sound that will resonate across the city reminding everyone how important a day ST.GEORGE’S DAY is. What a great experience for such young ringers and what an honour. Listen out and give them a cheer.
More towers across the NORTH joining the Campaign to ring out for ENGLAND & ST.GEORGE. They include Wilbarston – All Saints, and Ashley – St. Mary’s, and Weston by Welland – St. Mary the Virgin all in Northamptonshire. Whitley Bay – St. Paul’s near Newcastle. Old Brampton – SS Peter & Paul in Derbyshire, pictured below, all getting ready to ring their hearts out for this Saturday April 23rd.
This is a heart warming story of how the local community raised significant funds to restore their much loved EVESHAM ABBEY BELL TOWER. It is one of the finest detached bell towers in the country and described by James Lees-Milne as ‘one of the nation’s architectural treasures. It has taken several years but this Grade 1 listed building, will be ringing its 12 bells for the first time on April 23rd, in time for ST.GEORGE’S DAY. The town will be celebrating its Annual Asparagus Fair as these wonderful bells ring out creating a brilliant day – the best way to celebrate ENGLAND’S DAY.
The 2nd largest ringing bell in the country weighing around a colossal 2,344 stone is joining in. The City of LIVERPOOL not only has a famous cathedral whose 13 bells will be ringing out across The Mersey reminding everyone to celebrate ST.GEORGE’S Day but it also has the honour of housing the 2nd largest ringing bell in the country. AND it is called ‘GREAT GEORGE’. It will be the huge responsibility of a ringer to ‘toll’ this massive magnificent bell twenty three times in honour of the date – 23rd April, what an arresting sound it will be.
Whilst only a humble parish church this astonishing building CHRISTCHURCH PRIORY is larger than 21 of our nation’s cathedrals and the longest parish church in the country. It has been a place of worship for over 1000 years with the establishment of a Priory since the reign of Edward The Confessor. It stands in the town of its name at the confluence of the Rivers Stour and Avon. This majestic church with its 13 magnificent bells, two of which were cast in 1370, will be ringing out reminding the south of Dorset that it is ST. GEORGE’S DAY.
Situated in the heart of the country as the cathedral of Staffordshire, LICHFIELD with its magnificent spires and 10 bells will be ringing out this Saturday to celebrate England’s Patron Saint – ST.GEORGE. It has been a wonderful supporter of this project and represents a special city. The cathedral dates from as long ago as 700 AD with St.Chad as its first Bishop. After the tumult and damage of the Civil War the city became a centre of scientific learning and enlightenment and continues today as a cultural attraction. Give cheer to the ringers who are all volunteers.
Yet another challenger for the ‘Rolling Ring’- the TAUNTON district of Somerset is gearing up to try and ring from as many towers as possible as a ‘rolling ring’ throughout the day as part of the national celebrations for ST.GEORGE’S DAY. This lovely part of the county will be hearing a ribbon of ringing as many of these wonderful volunteers ring out the day starting at the church of St. Mary in Kingston St Mary with its 6 bells at 9 o’clock and all the other churches will follow on. Go and cheer them on and count how many bells are rung.
Bells Bells from the very top of England to the very bottom and of course with many inbetween, will be ringing for ST.GEORGE. The northern border is the county of Northumberland and the northern tip is where BERWICK UPON TWEED is sited. Here in this town its famous clock tower with its 8 bells will ring out. To the furthest East in Norfolk there is LOWESTOFT with its St. Margaret’s church also with 8 bells and they too will be ringing. The furthest west and furthest south is held by one church, ST. MARY’S in the SCILLY ISLES, seen in the picture below, who have been tremendous supporters of the Campaign and their 8 bells will be ringing loud and clear for April 23rd.
St Mary the Virgin Church, St Marys, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England
Bells and more bells for the northern parishes of Gloucestershire have taken up the ‘Rolling Ring’ challenge and they will be ringing hoppingt from tower to tower consecutively throughout the day. The town of TEWKESBURY stands at the confluence of two great rivers, The Severn and The Avon, and at its heart stands TEWKESBURY ABBEY which is where the action will all begin. This Abbey is said to be the second largest Parish Church in the land dating from 12thC and it has 13 tremendous bells that will start the Ring which will then be followed by all the others until, exhausted and happy, the last tower at the end of the day. Go and cheer them on, Saturday 23rd April.
