Swanage bellringers - What is bellringing?

Bellringing is great FUN!

- You don’t have to be particularly strong or mathematically-minded to ring. A good sense of rhythm helps though.

- Bellringing can be physically and mentally challenging, but it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to learn. Even as a beginner you become a valuable part of the team.

- There are about 40,000 bellringers in the UK. Bellringing is a great way of making new friends and meeting people.

- All sorts of people are bellringers, whether they go to church or not. Anyone aged from about 10 can learn to ring. Many people ring bells as a contribution to church life.

- There are over 5,000 rings of five or more bells hung for change ringing in the UK. Bells usually weigh between 1 cwt (50kg) and 4 tons (4,000kg) and are made from an alloy of copper and tin

- Bellringing is a really good way of visiting lots of new places. It is practiced mainly in Britain, but also in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and South Africa too!

- “Ringing the Changes” or change ringing involves ringing bells rhythmically in sequence. The bells start by ringing down the scale. This is called ringing rounds. Bellringers learn sequences of changes called “methods” such as Grandsire Triples, Plain Bob Major and Stedman Cinques

- Change ringing has a great history and really started to develop in the early 17th century.

- Although rings of bells are usually called peals, the word “peal” also means when 5,000 or more different changes are rung non-stop. A peal takes about three hours to ring!

- Bells hung for change ringing are controlled by the ringer from below using a long rope and wheel.

- Bells are rung for all sorts of occasions as well as for church services and weddings. (Usually you get paid for ringing at weddings!). Bells all over the country were rung for the Millennium and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

- Bellringers have their own weekly newspaper called The Ringing World.

- Bellringing is a really different experience. Why don’t you give it a try!