How I started.....
As a child I lived in Coleshill and every week would hear the bells ringing. I used to love the noises and how far you could hear them. When I was attending Whitacre church one day I saw Steve and Mike in the tower ringing. They invited me and my friend to come and have a go on a Thursday evening.
It is the best hobby I have even taken up.
Sean
It is the best hobby I have even taken up.
Sean
It all started with a visit to the French Market in Coleshill on a bright but very cold day last April. The tower at the church was open and on our way back down we paused in the belfry and chatted to the bellringers, and quite fancied having a go at bell ringing. We are local so decided to learn at St Giles. We were made very welcome by the lovely ringers and have really enjoyed learning to ring. I am a very slow student; Isabella is much better than me, but nobody seems to mind, and it is great fun. We are so hooked that we often go to St Cuthberts at Shustoke on Tuesday nights as well as St Giles on Thursday evenings. I am not at all musical, but you don't have to be. I now know that there is a great community on bell ringers across most of the country; and when we went up to Stirling a few weeks ago Quentin, the Tower Captain, put us in touch with the bell ringers and we rang in the church there, which was lovely. But as well as being great fun, what I absolutely love is the knowledge that the bells we are ringing are hundreds of years old, and that for the last three of four hundred years people have been ringing out the same bells across the landscape, making the same sounds. To me, that is amazing.
Olwyn
Olwyn
Why bell ringing? That question has been asked by both family and friends and my answer is “I’ve always wanted to”. I then go onto explain that as far back as I can remember I have lived within the sound of church bells ringing out on a Sunday morning or a practice night listening fascinated to the sound of the changing pitch and tone of the bells, so maybe it might be me trying to recapture those halcyon days of my childhood back in the 50’s and 60’s.
Fast forward forty years. I had moved away from London to the peaceful village of Nether Whitacre and on certain Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings I could hear the bells from St Giles. I mentioned my memories of childhood to my wife who said “why don’t you give it a try? My friend Helen is a ringer, I’ll have a word with her”. Date and time were arranged and on a very cold January night I attended my first practice night. I drove away after that practice night knowing that I was hooked and kicking myself for not taking up the hobby earlier in my life.
I progressed gradually and after six months I asked if I could ring at a special service and was given a few minutes ringing rounds, my first public appearance and a great boost to my confidence. I now ring at most morning services, weddings at St Giles and if asked, other local churches.
I find it both challenging and a fascinating hobby with always something new to learn and in my case forget and re-learn ( I’ll put that down to my age) but that doesn’t matter the main reason is to have fun and enjoy, and when I do get it right its very satisfying.
Steve
Fast forward forty years. I had moved away from London to the peaceful village of Nether Whitacre and on certain Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings I could hear the bells from St Giles. I mentioned my memories of childhood to my wife who said “why don’t you give it a try? My friend Helen is a ringer, I’ll have a word with her”. Date and time were arranged and on a very cold January night I attended my first practice night. I drove away after that practice night knowing that I was hooked and kicking myself for not taking up the hobby earlier in my life.
I progressed gradually and after six months I asked if I could ring at a special service and was given a few minutes ringing rounds, my first public appearance and a great boost to my confidence. I now ring at most morning services, weddings at St Giles and if asked, other local churches.
I find it both challenging and a fascinating hobby with always something new to learn and in my case forget and re-learn ( I’ll put that down to my age) but that doesn’t matter the main reason is to have fun and enjoy, and when I do get it right its very satisfying.
Steve
