WESTBURY bell ringers at All Saints Church are looking for new members to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War Armistice, by remembering the 1,400 British bell ringers who died during the war.
The government has started a national campaign, Ringing Remembers, to recruit 1,400 new bell ringers to commemorate those who lost their lives during the First World War. As part of commemorations for the 100th anniversary, bells will ring out from churches and cathedrals in cities, towns and villages across the UK.
The Westbury branch lost one member Herbert Frederick “Fred” Kerley, who died on 26th August 1914 at the battle of Mons aged 34, and the Edington branch sadly lost six members, wiping out their entire group.
Chris Jenkins, a member of Westbury bell ringers said, “Bell ringing is a great social, traditional, physical, mental and musical hobby to have and it’s a privilege to be part of this ancient tradition. I myself attended Matravers School, when in 1997, at the age of 13, I was recruited to ring the bells for the millennium.
“I can honestly say I have never looked back and have progressed up to become the Devizes branch ringing master and chairman of the Edington Ringing Centre.
“Bell ringing is cool! It has become such a social sport, with regular get togethers, outings, competition, young ringers’ events and so much more. Most universities now have bell ringing guilds, which are very popular and a great way to mix with fellow ringers of that age group.
“We are hoping to visit local schools in the area to hold a presentation to the students about bell ringing in the hope that they will come and have a go.
“The armistice is a really good focus point, it will give people something to work towards during their training. We need to be proactive now in our search and hopefully get some new people on board.”
If you are interested in learning how to become a bell ringer you can contact the group via facebook www.facebook.com/groups/devizesringing/ or visit www.bellringing.org for details. Practice is every Tuesday, 7.30pm at All Saints Church, Westbury.
