Do you live in the North West of ESSEX?  Do you know how many bells there are there?  You will find out on Saturday 23rd April is ST. GEORGE’S Day when all the bells come alive as they join the challenge for a ‘Rolling Ring’ – the first year this will have been attempted. All the towers right across the county will ring in a continuous ribbon with ringers following one after another.  There will be four bands of wonderful volunteers starting at 9 o’clock at Willingale and Hadstock and they will all end up at the end of an energetic and fun day at Henham.  Why not go and give them a great cheer or even give them a hand at ringing.

Roll up, open to the public to have a go at ringing bells in NORWICH at  ST. GEORGE’S church in the Colegate district of the city.  This district used to be called Norwich over the Water but today the city has expanded so much that it is now in the heart of this ancient city.  The band of ringers that ring the 6 bells here are happy to welcome newcomers to try their hand at the ropes and experience ringing a church bell.  It is all part of the Campaign to celebrate ST.GEORGE’S day and what better way than to ring a bell in a St. George’s church on April 23rd, England’s Patron Saint’s Day. The ringers will attempt a ‘peal’ and at 5 pm will show you how to do it.  A different way to spend a Saturday afternoon – much better than shopping!

STUDENTS to ring out the 10 bells from WESTMINSTER ABBEY for ST.GEORGE’S Day.  Many of our universities have Ringing Societies and LONDON UNIVERSITY’s is one of the oldest having been formed in 1945.  A most successful Society that takes its ringing seriously so that they are often invited to ring across the country.  And here in the capital for 2016 they have been invited to ring out in the afternoon the 10 bells housed in the North West tower of WESTMINSTER ABBEY on Saturday 23rd April to celebrate ST. GEORGE’S Day. A great honour.

Come and ‘have a go’ and experience ringing a church bell at ST. THOMAS’S in SALISBURY. The Campaign wants to get as many new comers to the skills of ‘change ringing’ as possible which is why several cities are having an ‘open day’ where anyone can walk in and take to the ropes.  The most obvious day to choose is ST.GEORGE’S day when hundreds of bells across ENGLAND will be ringing out and St. Thomas’s in SALISBURY city will be doing just that. So instead of shopping come and experience ringing these 8 lovely bells right out across the city. Contact: Richard Harvey at : richardcharvey@gmail.com  The times are from 10.30 am – 12 pm. and from 2.30 – 3.30 pm.

Clyst ST GEORGE named after its church, with its 6 bells will be attempting the ringing marathon of ringing a ‘PEAL’ which is a three hour non stop ring of change ringing methods. This small village just east of Exeter was the first church to suffer from an incendiary bomb during the war.  In August 1940 it suffered a direct hit which gutted the church and the bells all cracked under the intense heat which revealed that one of them had been cast as long ago as 1596.  Undeterred the parishioners organised the funds for rebuilding which took place in 1952 and this spirit of determination will surely help them achieve a peal as they ring out for ST.GEORGE on April 23rd.

There will be hundreds of bells ringing out across the north of Northamptonshire. The villages and towns around GUILSBOROUGH is where it will all be happening with two groups of church towers ringing out from this town.  It will have two starts, one at Cottesbrooke at All Saints with 8 bells and ending at All Saints in Clipston with 5 bells. The other start will be at Marston Trussell with St. Nicholas and 5 bells and finishing at St. Denys in Ravensthorpe with 5 bells as well.  In between will be many other towers creating a rippling sound effect across the country throughout the day all celebrating ENGLAND’S Day so go and cheer them on.

There will be a competition for ringers to try their hands on different number of bells across DEVON as part of the Ringing for England challenge of a Rolling Ring.  It will start at 9.45 at SS Giles and Nicholas’s church in Sidmouth with 10 bells moving across to St. Gregory in Harpford with 6 bells then on to SS Peter and Giles’s church in Sidbury where again they will ring out on 6 bells.  Then changing to 8 bells at All Saints in East Budleigh.  The finish will be at Otterton at St. Michael and All Angels church with 6 bells.  All these bells will be rung throughout the day by different ringers all in celebration of ST.GEORGE’s DAY.  Their hard work will be richly rewarded when they gather at The King’s Arms in Otterton.  Why not go along and buy them a well earned drink or even try your hand at the ropes who knows, you might enjoy it!

St. Giles with St. Nicholas in SIDMOUTH

The challenge for a Rolling Ring has been taken up by ROCHDALE.  Its parish church, St. Chad’s is built high on Sparrow Hill and has 8 bells that will be ringing out across this market town.  This is where the challenge will begin in the morning and will spread out from the foot hills of the Pennines to church towers that will eventually lead to TODMORDEN at the head of the lovely Calder Valley.  Here will be the last tower to finish – St. Mary’s with again 8 bells to round off a brilliant day all in celebration of  ST.GEORGE on April 23rd.

There are more towers are joining the Campaign each day across the north of the country and some of these include St. Leonard’s with 8 bells in Walton-le-Dale, and St. Michael’s in Shefford, St. Peter’s in Welford-on-Avon, and St. Paul’s in Ramsbottom with 8 bells. They are all part of our country’s wonderful communities getting together to celebrate ST.GEORGE’S Day. Below is St. Leonard’s Church.

Sir John Betjeman : “St. Giles’s bells, they richly ring”

This famous city OXFORD has at its heart the church of ST.GILES with a ring of 8 bells and anyone can go along on Saturday, April 23rd and try their hand at the ropes from 10.30 – 12.30.  A great opportunity to experience this ancient skill and be part of celebrating ST.GEORGE’S Day. Contact: Dr. John Pusey on e mail: bellringers@st-giles-church.org  or : 01865 723 645

“There is no music played or sung, like unto Bells when they’re well rung”