Young Devon bell ringers aim to keep skill alive

By Jemima Laing
BBC Devon

Joe (far left) Sam (second from right) and Charlotte in front with other young ringers at Emmanuel

Standing on a box in the bell tower at Emmanuel Church in Plymouth five-year-old Charlotte Peck is - with some help - making the treble bell sound.

"She loves it," says her mother Sarah.
"But I think that's mainly because her two older brothers do it and she wants to do what they do."

It's one way of getting younger people interested in the art of campanology.

And Sarah is really keen to promote the pastime to people who may never have even thought bell ringing is for them.

She and her children are now part of the South West Branch of the Guild of Devonshire Ringers but the family's fascination with ringing started with a chance remark.

"We started ringing about two years ago when my son Sam, who is now 10, heard the bells at Emmanuel and said 'I'd like to have go at that'.

"So we spoke to Alena Wardle, the tower captain, and he had a go and his brother Joe said 'if he's doing it - I want to do it', so I got roped in too and it's just gone on from there.

"We're hoping to get Charlotte ringing before she's six - I think we're nearly there."

Charlotte on the treble bell, he lightest

Joe has now rung at 39 churches across Devon and Cornwall while Sam has notched up 37 and they both regularly ring at weddings - getting paid £10 a time for their trouble. They already have 17 booked in this year.

"I don't know if the bride and groom know that there's children up there ringing for their wedding - but it's good that they don't, it shows how proficient they're getting."

The boys have mastered plain bob doubles ringing, which is a method following a diagram which indicates when to ring.

"Joe and Sam picked it up so quickly, I think, because they have mathematical minds - I'm not quite as fast as them, it's more of a struggle for me."

So why should someone toying with starting to learn get involved?

"Most of all it's fun. It's also really sociable and my children are getting to meet some really fascinating people.

"There are a few young ringers in Plymouth; at St Budeaux, St Andrew's and Stoke Damerel.

"And at Emmanuel there's also another family of ringers with three children ringing like us.

"But it's really important to get more young people interested so that they can take over when the older ringers stop."

On 20 February there is a young ringers' event at Emmanuel and all ringers under the age of 30 who can ring call changes are welcome to attend.

And on 25 March Joe and Sam are off to London with six other young ringers from Devon to compete in the National Youth Bell Ringing Contest.

So does every bell ringer have a tower they really want to ring at?

"Well, for me I think it would be Westminster Abbey and for Joe it's the Hosanna bell at Buckfast Abbey," said Sarah.

That is a seven and a half ton bell which takes at least four people to ring.

"That's his ambition - it might seem a strange one for a 12-year-old but that's just Joe!"

To find out more about how you can get involved in bell ringing visit the Guild of Devonshire Ringers website.