St Mary’s Church Bell-ringers

Who are we? We are 13 women and men of mixed ages and backgrounds.  We are part of the church and meet in the bell-ringing chamber in the church tower; our ministry is largely unseen but certainly heard.  Some ringers may regard bell ringing simply as an enjoyable, sociable hobby – and that is fine.  We are all members of the West Dorset Branch of the Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Bell Ringers.

What is our purpose? Our main purpose is to ring the 8 church bells to celebrate the main church service on Sunday morning and to ring for other church service such as on Remembrance Sunday, Christmas, weddings and the occasional funeral.  Bells have always been rung to celebrate occasions and we enjoy ringing for national and local celebrations.   We also like to feel that we are maintaining a historic tradition of church bell ringing in Bridport.

When do we ring? We normally ring on Sunday mornings from 8:50 – 9:30 before the main morning church service. Our practice night is normally on Thursdays from 19:45 – 21:00

Please come and Join us! We are actively looking for new members to join our band. If you have rung before and would like to take up ringing again, that would be great. If you have not rung before and would like to learn, we can teach you. Bell ringing is a team activity and a sociable activity (visits to other towers, meals out, quiz teams etc.) It is good mental and physical exercise and will provide you with a life-long learning experience. You can progress to whatever level you want. You need to be reasonably fit, but ringing is less about strength and more about technique and having a sense of rhythm.  You would be helping to maintain a traditional art in Bridport – and most of all, it is good fun. Interested? Please email bridport@sdgr.org.uk

The contact for the Ringing Group is the current secretary, Jan Summerton,  jksummerton@hotmail.com

Sadly, during the COVID crisis, we have been unable to ring our lovely bells, but we will do so as soon as we can.

We still meet as a group during lockdown, even ringing our set of handbells to keep our hands in! We would still welcome anyone interested in joining us when we restart ringing. You will be welcome.

Bob Hardwick

Tower Captain 2020