Fun with Bells

Church bells are an integral part of our everyday life. We all hear the bells ringing on Sunday and other special occasions but do you know what goes on in a church tower and what it feels like to be a bell ringer? Have you ever really thought about who is ringing them and how they learnt.
 
In this podcast, Cathy Booth chats to Nic Boyd about Nic’s exciting journey of discovery since taking up bell ringing four years ago. Hear why Nic started ringing and why she loves it so much; the highs and lows, the joys and the challenges and how it feels to ring, both as an individual and as part of a team.
 
According to Nic, learning is effective when you take small steps and celebrate achievements along the way. Luckily, there’s an innovative new scheme called ‘Learning the Ropes’, developed by the Association for Ringing Teachers (ART) which does just this - using milestones to help new ringers learn faster and further.
 
This scheme has certainly been a great to support to Nic, who talks Cathy though the five levels of Learning the Ropes, culminating in her attending a masterclass in Birmingham last year. And it’s not just the sense of achievement from progressing through the levels that Nic has got out of ringing, as, at the end of the podcast, she reveals one of the exciting perks of being a bell ringer ...

Links

Learning the ropes

Top five takeaways

– You don’t have to be musical, sporty or strong to take up bell ringing
– There’s a lot more to bell ringing than ringing a bell! Just like learning to drive, there are many challenges and skills needed to ring safely and effectively
– Find a teacher that you feel comfortable with and a band of ringers that you enjoy spending time with
– Visit your local tower and ask if it’s possible to see the bells – it could be the start of a lifetime of fun and learning
– Check out the Learning the Ropes scheme at www.learningtheropes.org

Ask the Expert

In this episode, Pip Penney answered the following questions:

• Hollie: “My daughter started to learn to ring before me and now she is ringing with other ringers, but I don’t seem to be able to get the hang of handling the bell.  Should I give up?”
• Joshua: “I know I learn best when someone explains why I have to do something but my teacher just demonstrates handling and expecting me to be able to copy them.  What should I do?”

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored by the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART).  To find out more about learning to ring, learning to teach or other resources to support your ringing go to bellringing.org

Podcast team:
Anne Tansley Thomas
Emily Roderick
John Gwynne
Emily Watts
Cathy Booth

Ringing by:
The Cambridge Youths (supplied by David Richards) and for later episodes, The Liliputters Guild (supplied by Simon Edwards).

For bellringing training and support for teachers and ringers see: bellringing.org

Coming 28th February 2019, the Fun With Bells podcast will be bringing you true and entertaining stories from the people who ring them. Tune into our trailer to hear clips from our first five interviews and get a taste of the terrific tips and tales we’ve got coming up.

You can also watch the video, of this trailer with images, on the website: www.funwithbells.com where you can sign up to be notified of new episodes.

Alternatively, subscribe on your favourite podcast app by clicking on the subscribe link above.  

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @funwithbells or email us at [email protected].

Podcast team:
Anne Tansley Thomas
Emily Roderick
John Gwynne
Emily Watts
Cathy Booth

Ringing by:
The Cambridge Youths (supplied by David Richards) and for later episodes, The Liliputters Guild (supplied by Simon Edwards).

For bellringing training and support for teachers and ringers see: bellringing.org