At All Saints’ Church we have a successful band of ringers and are always on the lookout for new recruits, to keep this tradition going.
Bells don’t automatically ring for services and weddings, it takes a team of people ringing together to achieve the sound that we’re all used to.
Ringing is open to all ages from about 10 upwards, and is a great thing to do with the whole family. There is no obligation to attend services.
Our regular practice is from 19.00 to 21.15 every Tuesday evening. Anyone is welcome to come up and see what goes on. We can also be found in the Kings Head from 21.15 to late. We’re normally the big table of people, don’t be afraid of coming and having a chat!
Open Tower
We are also offering a few occasions where the tower is open on other occasions, these are listed below. The first two will be principally for tours of the tower, where you can see the bells, get a little history of the tower and bells, and if you want, have a go at ringing. The second two sessions will be the same, but with a focus on giving people a chance to really start to learn to ring if they want.
Sunday 20th March: 11.30 – 13.00
Friday 25th March: 09.00 – 12.00
Wednesday 30th March: 10.00 – 12.00
Friday 1st April: 19.00 – 21.00
Learning to Ring
At Staplehurst we are lucky to have several very experienced teachers of ringing, the majority of which have been or currently are involved with organising ringing and training in the local county association. All ringers involved in teaching young recruits hold current DBS clearance.
Learning to ring isn’t something that happens overnight. There are several sections you will learn in turn, before putting these all together. Depending on how often you practice, this phase of “learning to handle” can take as little as a week, but don’t be put off it takes longer. As with driving, once you are able to handle a bell safely, you will then continue to gain confidence the more you ring, or the more “rope miles” you get.
If you would like any more information, please contact Tower Captain – Adam Brady.
This Year the Friends of All Saints’, Shepherd’s Market featured a display of Christmas Trees from various village organisations. Amongst these were offerings from Brownies, Guides and Nursing Homes. This is the bell ringer’s entry, featuring our 12 hand-bells. Our thanks to Chris and Sue for putting it all together.