Bellringing

For far too long we have not been able to ring the bells before our Sunday morning services at Dunsfold church, for the simple and sad reason that we do not have enough ringers!

However, many people out and about in Dunsfold on Monday and Saturday mornings may well have heard a single bell ringing and wondered why this was. Well, the answer is that I have been giving lessons to several enthusiastic beginners, namely, Roger ter Haar, David and Pam Walker, Howard Murphy and Jo and Tom Raffe. They all seem to be enjoying their lessons and are very keen. I am really looking forward to the day when they will be able to ring for our Sunday services.

Do let me know if you think you might like to learn, and I would be very pleased to give you a trial lesson. I should tell you that the bells at Dunsfold are more difficult to ring than most bells. As you will have noticed, we ring from the body of the church because there is a long draught (ie. The ropes come all the way down from the belfry where the bells are housed way up in the tower itself). In most churches, bellringers have to climb up to the ringing chamber above which th bells hang, so there is a much shorter draught. At Dunsfold, therefore, we have a lot more rope to keep under control. It is said that once you can ring a Dunsfold bell well, you should be able to ring almost any bell in any church anywhere!

So, if you think you might like to learn, please telephone me on 01483 200346.

Jacky Williams