Fun With Bells - Bell And Handbell Ringing Interviews

One of the very best things to have happened over the past year is the development of the online ringing platform, Ringing Room. In this special Valentine’s podcast, host Cathy Booth interviews Leland and Bryn, the driving force behind this amazing achievement and now one of ringing’s most famous couples.Of course, for Ringing Room to have happened, Leland and Bryn had to have met. Cathy wastes no time in finding out the details of their burgeoning romance and discovers that going a transatlantic ringing tour just three weeks into dating might well have been a definitive moment!Although the interview focuses on their relationship, this podcast is also very much a paean to ringing itself. Both Leland and Bryn are so clearly in love with bell ringing and gladly share the joy and fulfilment that it brings to their lives.Of course, Leland and Bryn are not the only couple to have been brought together by ringing. A study conducted in 1989 assures that simple eye contact could make a person fall in love with you. R

Love is very definitely in the air at the Fun with Bells Podcast this Valentine’s Day, as host Cathy Booth explores ringing’s tender side.First, we hear the heart-warming story of Jo and Graham, whose romance continues to deepen from Ringing Remembers, through Ringing Room, and to a very memorable lockdown proposal. Be warned, if you get invited to an unexpected Saturday practice, there might well be something afoot ...Cathy also reveals the results of her special Valentine’s survey. Are bell ringers romantic or not? Listen in for all to be revealed. It won’t be giving too much away to say that there might well be a market for a ringing dating app. You too could find love through Dove!Finally, we hear a Valentine’s message from one ringer to another - there is one very lucky Guy out there. Whether you are a romantic ringer or not, you’re sure to be whisked off your feet by this episode.For more information and photos - see www.funwithbells.com

For Don McLean over in Ireland, one of the joys of bell ringing is teaching others and delighting in their achievements. In this charming episode, Cathy Booth, podcast host, shines a light on Don’s motivation and his own considerable achievements, including masterminding the training of 17 new recruits at St Mary’s Kilmood on ‘The Peace Bells’.Don is passionate about teaching and, as Cathy discovers, he has spent a great deal of time out and about supporting bell ringing teachers across Ireland. As Cathy and Don chat, we get a fantastic overview of the structure and culture of bell ringing over Ireland’s 37 towers.And what does Don do when he is not teaching others to ring, organising training sessions, or working hard to get cancer patients the priority treatment they need? Well, he sits down in his garage with the doors open and the mini-ring in action, hoping to lure in new recruits. What about the neighbours? Well of course they would be most welcome to take a seat and join in!The neighbours are not the o

What do ringers do when they are not ringing? Well, judging by this latest episode they write, film, podcast and blog about it!Podcast host Cathy Booth chats to no fewer than six leading lights in the ringing community who are all doing their bit to share and support the hobby they are all so passionate about.From Mancroft to Minecraft and from the Ringing World to the virtual world, this bumper podcast can’t fail to inspire. Ringers are a resilient bunch and many have taken the challenge of Covid-19 to learn something new or put their long dreamt-about projects into action. There’s now more need to communicate than ever before.As 2020 is obviously the year to try something new, why not check out some of these fascinating blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts and publications. Or better still, create one of your own! Think big and aim high - I bet Cathy can’t wait to interview the worlds first bell ringing Tik Tok influencer ...For more information and photos see www.funwithbells.com

Home of the first true peal, St Peter Mancroft in Norwich is now home to the brilliant Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre. Podcast host Cathy Booth catches up with Simon Rudd and Nikki Thomas to find out what’s been happening.Well, there’s been so much going on it’s hard to know where to start! Training courses at all levels, lunchtime pay as you go sessions, band visits, junior ringing and ringing festivals all feature. That’s when the team is not out and about taking ringing into schools and letting hordes of excited novice ringers have a go on 12 bells at Great Yarmouth.But what of lockdown? Cathy discovers that both Simon and Nikki have actually been doing more ringing in lockdown than ever before - extending their handbell repertoire, honing their conducting skills and setting themselves ever more complex challenges in Ringing Room.For those of you who are more advanced you might want to learn to ring Cambridge Suprise. Or maybe that's not the best place to start! How about starting with Cornwall fir

Ringing can be spooky at the best of times - you may get shivers down your spine with a nicely struck touch of Stedman, or perhaps an eerie sensation of being watched when you’re on the treble.However, for Halloween, Fun with Bells turns up the terror with this chilling collection of ghostly goings-on. Yes, this episode is even scarier than the ringing cage at Pershore Abbey.This petrifying podcast is full of ominous, deathly warnings and the mournful sound of drowned, lost or buried bells ringing without the help of human hands. We also discover that not only has the Devil got the best tunes, he has also stolen the best bells!Scare yourself silly with stories of bells that ring by themselves or bells that don't ring at all. If you've not heard your church bells for some time don't blame coronavirus restrictions. It's much more likely that pixies have kidnapped your ringers and are holding them captive in a cave. Pixies just hate the sound of the bells - bit like some newcomers to the vill

Following on from last month’s edition, podcast host Cathy Booth reveals another dodgy dozen or so weird and wonderful towers. WARNING - this podcast contains details of hair-raising ringing environments, definitely not for the nervous ringers amongst you! Enjoy another litany of trapdoors, spiral staircases, beam scrambling, comedy pulleys and 17th century ladders.We now have a whole new list of things to watch out for - bizarre ringing circles, ropes arranged around the organist, and, erm, falling concrete!  And as lovely as weddings are, Cathy discovers these can be the source of much distraction. Please do be careful not to lasso a bridesmaid!Lastly, and most importantly, always be EXTREMELY cautious if you accept an invitation to ring a quarter peal at a church whose bells are described as “rung from cage above chancel crossing”.For more information and photos see funwithbells.com.

These tales of weird and wonderful towers are definitely not for the faint-hearted ringers among you.   Podshow host, Cathy Booth, invites us behind the scenes of 15 of the most outlandish ringing environments from across the world, featuring trap doors, vaults, ventilator shafts, crawl ways and external ladders. Clock cases also play a starring role, along with gas lamps and one particularly chilling occupant! Features readings from bell ringers from around the UK.  For photos and more information see www.funwithbells.com

This episode sees host Cathy Booth in conversation with Andrew Wilby for a fascinating insight into the Taylor Bell Foundry past, present and future.Based in Loughborough, we hear all about the history behind the foundry and some of the exiting attractions on site. The foundry has its own museum, 12 bell tower renowned for being the site of the world's longest peal and even a carillon. Plan your visit now for when lockdown is over!You'll also discover what JS Bach has got to do with bell ringing, the ins and outs of harmonics and what equal temperament is - and no it's not an easy-going tower captain!Andrew then gets into some heavy stuff, bells that is, before regaling Cathy with some hair-raising stories of his bell ringing travels abroad. Brilliant stuff!For more information and photos - see www.funwithbells.com.NB. The photo for this episode was taken by Tommy Pengilley.

Can one ever have too many belfries? In this fascinating podcast, show host Cathy Booth finds the answer to this is no, as she quizes Helen McGregor about the amazing ringing centres at Tulloch and Alderney.Helen’s bell ringing started as an excuse not to commit to babysitting for a neighbour but quickly turned into a lifetime’s addiction. What’s more, together with husband Peter, bell ringing has inspired what can only be termed a “belfry creation scheme”.If developing two ringing centres isn’t enough, Helen also has ambitious plans for her hand bell ringing. She is confident that she could teach you, and possibly your dog, handbells too, if either of you have rhythm.Whatever your interest is, be it tower bells or hand bells, there’s plenty to interest you in this wide-ranging podcast. And if It gets you thinking about your own ring of bells, there’s always the garage ...For more information and photos see www.funwithbells.com

Originally timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE day, this unique episode sees host Cathy Booth, joined by a whole cast of ringers, bust the myths about ringing during World War II. This is the version of ‘thirty voices, seventy-five years, one story’ for non-ringers. And what a story!For more information, including photographs and the biographies of the 2 interviewees, Dennis Brock and Eric Hitchins, see www.funwithbells.com

Originally timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE day, this unique episode sees host Cathy Booth, joined by a whole cast of ringers, bust the myths about ringing during World War II. This is the full version of ‘thirty voices, seventy-five years, one story’. And what a story!Bell towers across the country are currently silent due to the coronavirus pandemic. Unprecedented is currently a much-used word, but in this case not warranted, as we discover that 2020 is not the first time in living memory that ringing has had to stop.Cathy discovers the true story of this earlier ban on ringing, brought to life from archived letters and articles, and the amazing true-life experiences of people who were there, including Dennis Brock, Britain’s oldest bell ringer and Eric Hitchins who rang his first peal on VE Day 1945.The parallels with the current situation are striking. We discover that ringers’ concerns echo down the years, with their distress at the prospect of not being able to ring at Easter felt as ke

In this episode you’ll get three for the price of one as a panel of the country’s top strikers discuss their top tips. And no, it’s not football we’re talking about, but bell ringing!Colin Newman, Lesley Boyle and Stephanie Warboys join podcast host Cathy Booth at the Association of Ringing Teachers conference to chat about the holy grail of bell ringing, which is good striking.What starts off with a simple explanation of what striking is and its importance to performance, then turns in into a frank discussion of an issue at the very heart of bell ringing. Do ringers focus too much on methods at the expense of good striking? And if so, how do you tackle this taboo subject if poor striking is happening in your tower? You’re all bound to have an opinion and so do our panel members!So tune in now for some top tips for how to achieve Nirvana of ringing but first things first, work out if your bell goes ‘ding’ or goes ‘dong’.For more information and photos - see www.funwithbells.com

In this podcast, historian Gareth Davies challenges everything you ever thought about the history of bell ringing in one of host Cathy Booth’s most engaging interviews yet.At times, Gareth makes being an 18th century ringer sound like everyone’s dream job. Fancy being paid £80,000 a year, enjoying a free tab at the pub paid for by the parish council and getting pension support in your old age?However, once you learn about the six o’clock starts, the fines for a no-show and the ringing room chamber pot you might well change your mind!This brilliant romp through the history of the Cambridge ringers is full to bursting with fascinating facts, eye-opening insights and colourful real-life characters.And as for bell ringers smoking, swearing and being drunk? Well, maybe some things never change ...For more information and photos - see www.funwithbells.com

For this episode, show host Cathy Booth stays close to home and interviews her ringer husband, Roger, a trustee of the Charmborough Ring. Not just your average mini-ring, the Charmborough Ring is the heaviest portable ring of bells in the country. Heavier, believe it or not, than some rings of tower bells. So how many people does it take to put up a portable belfry? Roger expertly talks us through the answer to this and all the other essentials, such as how much it weighs, how long it takes to put up and how big your car needs to be to tow it.As well as talking through all of the practicalities, Roger shows how portable belfries and mini-rings are an inspirational recruitment tool and can lead to ringing in the most exciting places. Anyone up for ringing a quarter peal on a boat?The message comes across loud and clear - if you can’t get people up to the bells then take the bells out to them!For more information and photos go to the show notes at www.funwithbells.com

Ever wondered what it was like to learn how to ring? Or have forgotten what it was like when you first started out?Discover, or rediscover, in this podcast, as host Cathy Booth talks to not one, but to two new ringers currently following the ART Learning The Ropes scheme.Linda simply answered an advertisement in village magazine posted by a fellow dog-walker. As for Annie, well two years sailing around the world obviously wasn’t challenging enough and so has now found her land legs and a new passion for bells.Both ringers talk enthusiastically about their newly found hobby, the patience of their teachers and the friendliness of the other ringers. Find out how ringing is good for your both your mind and your body and also what mischief you can causeFor more information and photos go to the show notes at www.funwithbells.com

Most Ringing Remembers recruits were thrilled to have rung at their tower for last year’s Remembrance Day but enthusiastic new ringer and amateur film maker Chris Richmond rang at seven!Podcast host, Cathy Booth, finds out that Chris’s enthusiasm initially stemmed from his interest in sound recording. His desire to record the sound of the bells led him up into a local tower, but it was the sound of the bells ringing down in peal was the final push he needed to take hold of a rope and learn to ring. From then on he’s been hooked.For photos and associated show notes see: www.funwithbells.com

Having worked at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry for 40 years, Nigel Taylor is the perfect guide to how to tune a bell, talking podcast host Cathy Booth through the whole process from design to casting and tuning. And if you’ve never considered the actual sound a bell makes before, this podcast will be a revelation.You might never use the word ‘dong’ again after you discover that a tower bell is inharmonic, which means although a bell appears to have a single distinct pitch, the sound is made up of a variety of different tones.As Nigel describes how this all works, Cathy gets the answers to a host of fascinating questions, such as why new bells sound different to old bells, how the shape of old bells makes a difference to how you retune them and which bells are the hardest to tune.Be warned though, after listening to this podcast you may well wish to scramble up a ladder into the tower to look at the bells, just as Nigel did as a boy.For more information and photos go to www.funwithbells.com

The world of 12 bell ringing on enormous bells is indeed a rarefied one, but that there is an overriding sense of outreach and community in Mark Regan’s in-depth and wide-ranging conversation with podshow host Cathy Booth. Being ringing master at Worcester Cathedral, having rung about 2,400 peals, helping set up the first bell ringing training centre in the country and being involved in an amazing number of bell rehanging projects there is a lot to get through!According to Mark, the secret to all successful bell projects is having a strong purpose and good communications, especially getting the Church and PCC on your side. Enthusiasm helps too and this interview may just well inspire you to aim higher with your own projects. Or even just to get to grips with routine tower maintenance.One of the highlights of this show is where Mark talks about the people that that both encouraged him and inspired him to become the ringer that he is today. And by the sounds of it, Mark has himself become a role model for a new