Bells

Holy Trinity and St Mary's Bellringers

Contact: Roger Bull (01483 569727 or e-mail rbull@doble.com)

There is a lively, combined band of ringers for the two churches, with all the bells at both churches being rung for morning services. We ring also for weddings and other civic occasions. Quarter peals are regular events, and St Mary's was the leading quarter peal tower in the Guildford Guild for 2008! Practice nights are on Wednesdays at HT from 8.00 - 9.15pm, Church bellringing is based on sequences of numbers in 'methods' rather than 'tunes', so no musical ability is needed. It combines the physical skill of controlling a large mass of moving metal with mental ability of remembering an increasing repertoire of methods.

Our ringers play a full part in local activities of the Guildford Diocesan Guild. We take part in special training days, outings, and also generally do well in local competitions. Of course, there is always a therapy meeting in the pub after practice.

We teach learners from scratch. There is no age barrier, but clearly you need to be strong enough to handle the bells. Younger volunteers tend to learn faster, but older recruits often persevere and get great satisfaction from learning an entirely new skill. Come along and give it a try.

Parish Youth Bellringers have a separate early evening practice at St Mary’s on a different day, and we hope that they will progress to become our future. They performed for Sunday service for the first time during May 2009. We welcome additional recruits.