In the south of the county of Staffordshire is the village of KINVER and its church St.Peter’s with its 8 bells will be amongst many churches that will be ringing out for ST.GEORGE’S DAY. This county is famous for its potteries and STOKE at its heart has a lovely MINSTER with 10 bells that will ring out to celebrate ENGLAND’s Day April 23rd. The name ‘Stoke’ is said to mean Sacred Site and it is in this church that the great visionary Josiah Wedgwood is buried,. There are memorials to those other great pottery families Spode and Minton with examples of their tiles throughout the building. Plenty to see and hear in this special place.

Have you always wanted to know how to ring a church bell and wondered why it was so magical? Here is the perfect opportunity. Celebrate ENGLAND’S Day by going to CANTERBURY, to the church of St.Dunstan which is at the top of St. Dunstan’s Street opposite ‘The Monument’ and there you will find 6 bells waiting for you to ‘have a go’.  Just think, one of the bells you will be ringing is one of the oldest bells in the Christian World.                                                                                         Time: 10.30am – 12 o’clock. Date: Saturday 23rd April

If you missed St. Dunstan’s in the morning then you have another brilliant opportunity in the afternoon if you go to St. Stephen’s in Hales Drive, near ‘Ye Olde Beverlie’ and there you will find 8 lovely bells waiting for you to ring out from.  After trying your hand at the ropes then linger a little longer and you will hear the experts as they will ring out to celebrate ST.GEORGE’S DAY England’s Patron Saint.                                                                                                                                                     Time: 1 o’clock – 2.30pm.  Date: Saturday 23rd April.      Contact: MRFS –  07833 116 232

The only cathedral in England dedicated to its Patron Saint – ST. GEORGE’S Cathedral in MANCHESTER will be ringing its 10 bells on April 23rd. This famous city is now the 3rd most visited by foreigners with a growing reputation in the cultural, scientific and engineering world and standing in the centre of this success is its wonderful Cathedral waiting to welcome you.

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.