When talking to people outside of ringing circles the questions we often get asked are: How many bells are there? Which bell do you ring? It's all mechanical isn't it - don't you finding it boring just pressing buttons?
In terms of how many bells there are - it depends on the tower! Most churches with bells have six or eight bells, but some such as St Laurence in Reading have twelve. St Giles has eight bells, and once you've learnt how to handle a bell you can ring any one of them. However, a person can only ring one bell at a time, so you need at least eight people to ring at St Giles on a Sunday morning.
The only mechanical part of bellringing is the bearings holding the bell in the tower - everything else depends on people power! In fact there's a lot of skill making the bell you're ringing chime at the right time!
So what have we done during the last year? Well apart from ringing on Sundays and for special Church occasions, such as St Giles day, we rang to celebrate several weddings last year, and on a sadder note to commemorate the lives of both Princess Margaret and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. In October we plan to ring a Peal (a special piece of ringing lasting 3 hours) to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
As well as ringing at St Giles our band also ring at other places in the country. Last October we went on a very enjoyable outing to Hertfordshire for the weekend, where we rang at six towers and had a good social meal on Saturday night. We also organised a local outing in April, where we rang at five towers not far from Reading.
We are always looking for new members, and the answer to the question "Who can learn to ring?" is Anyone! Once you're over the age of eleven it doesn't matter whether you're young or old, tall or short, male or female - anyone can try. You don't need to be particularly musical, but enjoying a good social life helps, as many social events are organised during the year - Quiz's, BBQs and Dinners to name a few.
Once you've learnt to ring a bell there are then hundreds of "methods" to learn, (in fact enough to last a lifetime!!) and if you visit another tower in the UK, or in fact a Church in any country which has bells, you will always be welcome to join in.
If you're interested in joining us please contact Steve Bennett, our tower captain, on 0118 947 7126 or Joyce Vernon on 0118 947 4281. Our practice night is Wednesday from 7:15pm to 9pm.
Oxford Diocesan Guild of Bell Ringers Reading Branch Ringing World
Click on above to return to homepage.
In terms of how many bells there are - it depends on the tower! Most churches with bells have six or eight bells, but some such as St Laurence in Reading have twelve. St Giles has eight bells, and once you've learnt how to handle a bell you can ring any one of them. However, a person can only ring one bell at a time, so you need at least eight people to ring at St Giles on a Sunday morning.
The only mechanical part of bellringing is the bearings holding the bell in the tower - everything else depends on people power! In fact there's a lot of skill making the bell you're ringing chime at the right time!
So what have we done during the last year? Well apart from ringing on Sundays and for special Church occasions, such as St Giles day, we rang to celebrate several weddings last year, and on a sadder note to commemorate the lives of both Princess Margaret and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. In October we plan to ring a Peal (a special piece of ringing lasting 3 hours) to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
As well as ringing at St Giles our band also ring at other places in the country. Last October we went on a very enjoyable outing to Hertfordshire for the weekend, where we rang at six towers and had a good social meal on Saturday night. We also organised a local outing in April, where we rang at five towers not far from Reading.
We are always looking for new members, and the answer to the question "Who can learn to ring?" is Anyone! Once you're over the age of eleven it doesn't matter whether you're young or old, tall or short, male or female - anyone can try. You don't need to be particularly musical, but enjoying a good social life helps, as many social events are organised during the year - Quiz's, BBQs and Dinners to name a few.
Once you've learnt to ring a bell there are then hundreds of "methods" to learn, (in fact enough to last a lifetime!!) and if you visit another tower in the UK, or in fact a Church in any country which has bells, you will always be welcome to join in.
If you're interested in joining us please contact Steve Bennett, our tower captain, on 0118 947 7126 or Joyce Vernon on 0118 947 4281. Our practice night is Wednesday from 7:15pm to 9pm.
Oxford Diocesan Guild of Bell Ringers Reading Branch Ringing World
Click on above to return to homepage.