Bell ringing before I was born
The following is written by Daniel Watson, aged 11, who is learning to ring for Ringing Remembers at Longcot, Oxfordshire. Read more learner’s stories here.
Ringing at Longcot
I started to ring last year and would like to be ringing rounds and call changes for Armistice Day on 11 November for Ringing Remembers. I have been used to bells since before I was born as my mum and dad are ringers. They met through bell ringing and both also learnt as youngsters, my mum was 11 and my dad 14 when they started. I wanted to learn to ring after being on a ringing holiday last year where there were a few other children ringing. It’s good to ring with my parents and ringing has been part of the family for a long time.
Longcot tower
I am learning to ring at Longcot, Oxfordshire. Lucy Laird (ART teacher) is teaching me as my mum thought it better someone else taught me. We go to Longcot straight from school on a Friday for a tied practice. They are a ground floor ring of 8 (tenor 8cwt) and are quite easy to ring. I can ring a bell up and down and also can handle a bell on my own.
3 times a month I go along to the church on a Sunday to ring for service. I usually ring backstrokes with Lucy doing the handstroke in rounds and call changes. One of my favourite ringing moments so far was being able to have a go at ringing (swing chiming) ‘Hosanna’ the Bourdon bell at Buckfast Abbey, which weighs 7.5 tons!
I would encourage others to learn, unfortunately there are not enough people learning. Hopefully Ringing Remembers will mean more take it up. I am very happy to be a new ringer in memory of one of the 1,400 ringers that died.
The Ringing Remembers campaign is recruiting 1,400 new bell ringers in memory of the 1,400 who lost their lives in World War One. All new recruits will have the once in a lifetime opportunity to ring on Armistice Day (11 November) this year to mark 100 years since the end of the war. Find out more about the campaign and signup by visiting our Ringing Remembers project page and read more learner’s stories here.
Ringing Remembers is funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and is a partnership with the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.