PRACTICES EVERY MONDAY AT WOOLPIT, 7.30 - 9PM

SUNDAY RINGING AT EUSTON, 10.30 AM FOR 11 AM SERVICE. EVERY SUNDAY EXCEPT 5TH SUNDAY. CONTACT JAN TOMLINSON. 

Anyone can learn to ring! It's open to all ages and gives you new skills, new friends and takes you to new places!

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.
• 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 practised 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!

The Suffolk Guild of Ringers was formed in 1923 and has just celebrated its 85th anniversary. It's an organisation which provides help and support to all ringers in Suffolk and also maintains records of ringing in Suffolk. It also has a Bell Restoration Fund which provides grants towards bell restoration projects in Suffolk. The Guild have made a grant of £6,000 towards the Restoration Project at Bardwell.

If you can ring rounds and call changes and you live in Suffolk you are eligible to be proposed by your Tower captain - please ask. The Guild is divided into four Districts and Bardwell is in the North West District. The Ringing Master is Ruth Suggett. If you want to contact her please go to the 'Contact Church Bells' item.

The Suffolk Guild of Ringers web site (opens in a new window) and their feature about the Bardwell Village Church Bells (opens in a new window).

More information about bells and bell ringing can be found on The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers web site (opens in a new window).