Fun with Bells

In this fascinating podcast, Cathy Booth catches up with top bellringer and inspirational driving force behind the recent Ringing Remembers campaign, Alan Regin MBE. This is a must-listen interview for any new ringing recruit as Alan reveals the origins of his idea for this amazingly successful initiative.

A prolific ringer, Alan confesses to having rung over over 5,900 peals, with nine of those being in the last seven days! Don’t worry if you’re not sure what a peal is though, as Alan enthusiastically guides Cathy through both the history and technicalities of change ringing, ringing methods and peals.

Not only has Alan’s ringing career resulted in an MBE for services to campanology and heritage, it has also taken him all over the world. Find out what it’s like to go on a bell-ringing tour from listening to Alan’s terrific tales - and why wait for hours at an airport, when you can nip off with your friends to ring a peal at the nearest church instead?

Peals and Ringing Remembers aside, one of Alan’s greatest achievements has been his involvement in installing bells in the church at Ypres to provide a lasting memorial to the fallen, a project so very clearly close to his heart.

Cathy asks Alan about his own bellringing heroes - well, we don’t know about you, but after listening to this amazing interview, Alan is certainly one of ours.
Links

• The Ringing World – ringingworld.co.uk
• CCCBR Rolls of Honour – cccbr.org.uk/rolls-of-honour/
• St George’s memorial church, Ypres – stgeorgesmemorialchurchypres.com/

Top five takeaways

• Ringing can take you further afield than just the UK – there are towers in countries like Australia, South Africa and the USA.
• As a bellringer, wherever you travel you will find friends who share your hobby and enthusiasm.
• All sorts of people from different ages and backgrounds ring – once you’re in the tower you’re all equal and so it’s a great example of teamwork.
• Peal boards in churches record historic feats of ringing – look out for them when you visit a tower.
• Bellringing has had its own weekly newsletter since the 1800s and still has one today called The Ringing World

Ask the Expert

Pip Penney answered the following questions in this episode:

• Maddie: “I’ve heard the people in my tower talk about ringing methods. How long does it take to get to the stage where you can ring methods?”
• Katie: “Apart from practice in the tower, what else could I be doing to help me progress my learning to ring?”

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored by the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART). To find out more about learning to ring, learning to teach or other resources to support your ringing go to bellringing.org

Podcast team :
Anne Tansley Thomas
Emily Roderick
John Gwynne
Emily Watts
Cathy Booth
Ringing by :
The Cambridge Youths (supplied by David Richards) and for later episodes, The Liliputters Guild (supplied by Simon Edwards).
For bellringing training and support for teachers and ringers see: bellringing.org

This second sojourn into ringing in redundant churches sees show host Cathy Booth discovering two more exciting projects where ringers have joined forces with the Churches Conservation Trust.

When someone suggests you take the keys and check on the bells in a redundant church, big things can happen. Such an invitation proved inspiring to Andy Cope and his partner who have transformed All Souls in Bolton into a community ringing centre with a winning recruitment strategy.

Meanwhile, the vision for a national centre of ringing in Northampton is coming together beautifully, as Simon Linford updates on progress. Close your eyes and imagine the perfect place - nice ring of eight next door, set of training bells, state of the art simulator, a ringing library and a real ale pub. Yes, you heard that correctly, a pub! Is it too early to book an outing?
Top 5 Takeaways

• Find out more about The Churches Conservation Trust, including how to get involved and support your local historic church at www.visitchurches.org.uk
• Keep track of progress at the National Ringing Centre https://www.pdg.org.uk/latest-news/national-ringing-centre-at-st-peter-s-and-the-old-black-lions
• Discover All Souls, Bolton https://allsoulsbolton.org.uk/home/about-us/, check out all the community activities on offer https://issuu.com/allsoulsbolton/docs/asb_community_brochure_2019 and watch this short introduction to the bells (2) Watch | Facebook
• Fancy a couple of nights sleeping under the nave? Go Champing, for your next ringing outing https://champing.co.uk
• Take some tips from All Souls ringers’ recruitment. Tower tours, taster sessions and a sixth-form feed into university ringing societies are all great tactics

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored by the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART). To find out more about learning to ring, learning to teach or other resources to support your ringing go to bellringing.org

Podcast team :
Anne Tansley Thomas
Emily Roderick
John Gwynne
Emily Watts
Cathy Booth
Ringing by :
The Cambridge Youths (supplied by David Richards) and for later episodes, The Liliputters Guild (supplied by Simon Edwards).
For bellringing training and support for teachers and ringers see: bellringing.org

This episode sees host Cathy Booth in conversation with Andrew Wilby for a fascinating insight into the Taylor Bell Foundry's past, present and future.

Based in Loughborough, we hear all about the history behind the foundry and some of the exciting attractions on site. The foundry has its own museum, 12 bell tower renowned for being the site of the world's longest peal and even a carillon. Plan your visit now for when lockdown is over!

You'll also discover what JS Bach has got to do with bell ringing, the ins and outs of harmonics and what equal temperament is - and no it's not an easy-going tower captain!

Andrew then gets into some heavy stuff, bells that is, before regaling Cathy with some hair-raising stories of his bell ringing travels abroad. Brilliant stuff!
Top 5 takeaways

• Find out more about the Taylor bell foundry on its website http://taylorbells.co.uk/
• A carillon is a musical instrument. where a set of bells is played by a keyboard and pedals. The keys mechanically activate levers and wires connected to metal clappers which strike the bells. You can find out more about the Loughborough Carillon on its website https://www.carillontower.org.uk/index.htm
• Try listening to some bells cast by different methods and see which you think sounds best!
• Why not watch the bells of St Pauls in action on this YouTube clip Bells of St Pauls Cathedral, London 2
• And if you want to do your bit to ensure that the last remaining major bell foundry in Britain isn’t lost, visit https://loughboroughbellfoundry.org/

NB. The photo for this episode was taken by Tommy Pengilley.

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored by the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART). To find out more about learning to ring, learning to teach or other resources to support your ringing go to bellringing.org

Podcast team :
Anne Tansley Thomas
Emily Roderick
John Gwynne
Emily Watts
Cathy Booth
Ringing by :
The Cambridge Youths (supplied by David Richards) and for later episodes, The Liliputters Guild (supplied by Simon Edwards).
For bellringing training and support for teachers and ringers see: bellringing.org

Home of the first true peal, St Peter Mancroft in Norwich is now home to the brilliant Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre. Podcast host Cathy Booth catches up with Simon Rudd and Nikki Thomas to find out what’s been happening.

Well, there’s been so much going on it’s hard to know where to start! Training courses at all levels, lunchtime pay as you go sessions, band visits, junior ringing and ringing festivals all feature. That’s when the team is not out and about taking ringing into schools and letting hordes of excited novice ringers have a go on 12 bells at Great Yarmouth.

But what of lockdown? Cathy discovers that both Simon and Nikki have actually been doing more ringing in lockdown than ever before - extending their handbell repertoire, honing their conducting skills and setting themselves ever more complex challenges in Ringing Room.

For those of you who are more advanced, you might want to learn to ring Cambridge Suprise. Or maybe that's not the best place to start! How about starting with Cornwall first? This podcast also includes an excerpt from Matt Austin's conversation with Don Marrison about less traditional steps to learning surprise methods, first broadcast in our North American sister podcast, Treble's Going.

Whatever your level and whatever your pathway, once everything is safe, take yourself and your band for a weekend in Norwich and try out your new skills on the MRDC training bells. You know you want to.
Top takeaways

• Check out the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre www.mrdc.org.uk and get ready to book a visit once it’s safe to get out and about
• Not tried Ringing Room yet? Go on, give it a go! If you need some help to get started pop into the Ringing Room Take Hold lounge on Facebook
• Interested in St Peter Mancroft’s bell ringing heritage? Listen to Nikki’s talk for Heritage Open Days
• If you’ve got a suitable 12 bell tower in your area, have a think about letting your novice ringers loose – they’ll love every minute
• Don’t just print off the blue line to learn it – why not write out the method by hand from place notation and really get inside it
• Catch up with the rest of the Don Morrison ‘Cornwall first’ interview at treblesgoing.com

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored by the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART). To find out more about learning to ring, learning to teach or other resources to support your ringing go to bellringing.org

Podcast team :
Anne Tansley Thomas
Emily Roderick
John Gwynne
Emily Watts
Cathy Booth
Ringing by :
The Cambridge Youths (supplied by David Richards) and for later episodes, The Liliputters Guild (supplied by Simon Edwards).
For bellringing training and support for teachers and ringers see: bellringing.org

This interview smashes any pre-conceptions that bellringing is something that only older people do, with an inspirational interview with a ringer in her twenties, Emily Hall. Emily started learning to ring at the age of seven and then, when aged just nine, set up the Derbyshire Young Ringers so that she could spend time in the tower with people of her own age.
In conversation with Cathy Booth, Emily reveals what it’s like to be a young ringer and the huge benefits ringing can give to young people growing up, going to university and beginning their adult lives.
As well as having fun with her family, making friends for life and the fantastic social life, Emily explains that there’s a competitive side to ringing too and describes what happens at a striking competition when bands of ringers compete to be the best.
And if you’re one of the people Emily has come across that thinks the University Bellringing Society is full of weirdos, Emily’s heartwarming tales of travelling across the country, making new friends, drinking, dancing and discovering love will definitely make you think again - and also make you want to sign your children up for bellringing lessons straight away!
Links

• www.bellringing.org
• www.cccbr.org.uk
• www.universtityringing.org if you’re at uni.
• Nottingham Bellringing – an Android app

Top five takeaways

• All the maths you need in order to ring at most of the towers in the country is to be able to count up to 8 and back down again!
• When you start out, try visiting as many towers as possible so you get to experience different bells – this will improve your bell handling no end.
• Ringing can help with your concentration, confidence and looks great on your CV.
• If you’re looking for the perfect family activity, then ringing could be it! Spend quality time with your loved ones (without necessarily having to speak to them!).
• There are lots of great websites to find out more – see the links.

Ask the Expert

In this episode, Pip Penney answered the following question:

• Charlie: “There are often a lot of people at my practice night, is there anything I can do to improve my ringing whilst I’m sitting out?”

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored by the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART). To find out more about learning to ring, learning to teach or other resources to support your ringing go to bellringing.org

Podcast team :
Anne Tansley Thomas
Emily Roderick
John Gwynne
Emily Watts
Cathy Booth
Ringing by :
The Cambridge Youths (supplied by David Richards) and for later episodes, The Liliputters Guild (supplied by Simon Edwards).
For bellringing training and support for teachers and ringers see: bellringing.org