The church of St Peter in Kirby Bellars is celebrating the arrival of four new Tower bell ringers, who have recently joined the team and begun learning the centuries-old art of change ringing.
The Belfry in the Church Tower at St Peters contains six bells, cast between 1614 and 1999, all capable of being rung ‘full circle’ through 360 degrees. The sound of three of them has been heard across Kirby Bellars and the surrounding area for more than 400 years. Two more bells were installed in 1730 and 1755, then a sixth was cast in 1999, to mark the last Millennium. The aim is to keep all of the bells ringing for many years to come.
Tracy Belcher and Julie Raynor, along with two young adults gaining skills for their Duke of Edinburgh award, have been training under the careful guidance of trainee tutor, Emma Lovegrove, learning the skills needed to ring the bells for church services and special occasions.
Both Tracy and Julie became aware of the potential to learn to ring on the Kirby Bellars Village Life Facebook page. Julie said, “having done this before in my teens I thought it would be an interesting thing to get involved in,” while Tracy, being recently retired, said she was “looking for a new challenge and thought it would be a great way to learn a new skill and make friends.”
What surprised Julie the most about learning to ring was being impressed that she can actually make a huge bell ring.
The weights of the bells at St Peters ranges between almost six hundredweight (293kg), up to twelve and a half hundredweight (645kg). Each bell is finely balanced and securely attached to a framework and large wooden wheel in the Belfry, to which a rope is attached. The ringer controls the movement of the bell by handling the end sections of the rope in a room several metres below the Belfry.
For Tracy, the most challenging part of learning is remembering everything taught you whilst ringing the bell and also remembering to relax and breath. The most rewarding is seeing herself improve each week and enjoying learning a new skill through a great new teacher, Emma.
Both Julie and Tracy were enthusiastic when asked what they would say to someone curious about bell ringing.
Julie said: “Have a go. It's a friendly group and it's amazing what you can do when you try”.
Tracy said: “It’s a fantastic new skill to learn, you will meet a group of lovely supportive people, not only at St Peter’s, but at other churches too. It’s an excellent workout (no gym fees) and good for brain/hand co-ordination.”
Talking about the new recruits, Tower Captain, Martin Paling said: “They’ve brought welcome energy to the tower and the bell ringing community is always keen to welcome newcomers wanting to learn.”
Emma Lovegrove has been training to teach under the expert tutorship of Peter Brown, President of the Leicester Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers.
Reflecting on his support, Peter said: “It’s been a pleasure to tutor Emma who is very enthusiastic about ringing and has only learnt to ring herself in past few years. We’ve had a lot of fun with Tracy and Julie on the way through the process and our aim is to get them ringing as part of the team in time for the Christmas services.”
Revd David Harknett, Priest-in-Charge of the Parish of the Upper Wreake said: “It is pure joy to welcome Tracy and Julie to our merry band of ringers. They join a growing number of ringers across the Upper Wreake learning an art form that is mentally, physically and socially rewarding. Together, we grab the attention, awaken the soul, and call out to ‘every seeking soul’.”
St Peter’s is currently raising funds to keep the bells ringing for future generations. For more information or to donate to the church bell appeal, visit https://stpeterskirbybellars.co.uk