Because my husband is a bellringer, I'd been up in the belltower at St Leonard's Church quite often, especially on New Year's Eve.
Bellringing seemed to mean good camaraderie, some arcane language -and quite a few safety procedures to protect people from getting tangled in fast-moving ropes. It was a little bit daunting and as I didn't know anything about it at all, I didn't imagine I could ever learn. But then I was offered an opportunity, around 10 years ago, to learn alongside some young lads before the main Monday practice, so I went along.
Basically, you learn to pull a rope that turns a wheel with a massive, heavy bell attached to it. At first, the bell seems like a wild thing and it's quite frightening. I'll admit that I stopped learning for a while because I was a bit afraid, but then, after lockdown, I went back to learn with a couple of friends. The extra (female) company and the fact that the bell, by then, wasn't completely unfamiliar made it easier and, gradually, I got the hang of it. I learned that if you stop fighting the bell - by consciously relaxing and learning how to 'feel' it - it calms down and you can use just a light touch to get it to do what you want. Once you've mastered the bell physically, you can start to learn methods, which is quite mind-bending, but also fun and really satisfying when it goes well.
In Eynsham, we're a pretty relaxed tower, which means that sometimes our ringing is good and occasionally it's a bit shambolic (sorry, village!), but the vibe in the tower is usually happy, often quite funny, and definitely supportive and friendly. For me, that makes it a pleasure to help keep this tradition alive-and
I am now well and truly hooked! We practise every Monday, 7.30-8.30pm, and regular Sunday bell ringing is 10-10.30am. We do need more bellringers, so please come and join us! If you are interested, call Pete Butler on 01865 881 690.
This story first appeared in The Eynsham News, Issue 77