Bells ring out to call for more volunteers to save the ancient art

However, the future of bell ringing in the county is under threat due to a lack of new recruits.

Now, the Ringing Remembers campaign has been launched to recruit 1,400 new bell ringers nationwide in memory of the same number who died in the First World War.

There is a call to arms to people in Colchester to learn to ring bells this centenary year and save this ancient art.

Keen to find out more about campanology, I was one of those to answer that call.

Also taking up the challenge are children at Ardleigh St Mary’s Primary School, who visit St Mary the Virgin Church to practise as part of the Learning the Ropes initiative.

I gingerly climb the wooden ladder up to where the children are seated.

Anne Bray, a bell ringer of 30 years and master of the North East bell ringing district, was there to guide us.

“I learned as a teenager,” she said. “I had a best friend at school who was learning to ring and I would see her writing down things with mathematical precision in the back of her book.

“I was just fascinated, it’s not like reading music where you can have the sheets on a stand, you have to learn to be able to see which bell to ring next.”

The scrawls she mentions are patterns of numbers, indicating which bells to ring in what order.

The numbers are linked with red and blue lines, the image in front of my looks somewhat like an extract of DNA.

She shows me one of the sheets. “I cannot do this.” I say to myself. Anne must have read my mind.

“There’s a lot of mental skill involved and that’s what people like about it,” she said.

It was the children’s second week at the church as part of their Year 6 community project. In the first stages they must learn how to handle the bell, and it takes several weeks to be able to control the rope.

Mrs Bray said once that has been mastered they can start learning the patterns.

She said: “You don’t realise how technical it is, it looks easy but there’s quite an art to it.”

She was so right. I observed the children learning about the backstroke - something I, and many others I imagine, had only ever associated with swimming.

I watched in awe as they practised the hand stroke, letting the rope run through their hands and catching it just at the right time.

I envisioned the hefty bells swinging backwards and forwards, with little arms pulling at the ropes from below - the thought of it was fascinating.

They made it look so easy, crossing off skills they learnt in their Learning the Ropes log books.

To avoid embarrassing myself further, tower captain Bob Barrell took me higher up the tower so I could see the bells themselves.

I asked him whether he felt people were ever intimidated by the intricacy of it all, from learning the patterns to pulling the ropes.

“I don’t think it makes the children nervous,” he said, after helping me down the winding stone staircase. (I really needed to tackle my fear of heights for this job.)

“They have picked it up really quickly. They just learn to play the bells from one to six until they feel confident.

“It is difficult to keep the bells in the right position.”

He said some of the peals, or ringing sessions, can last for up to three hours. I imagined feeling exhausted after pulling the 181kg weights for just five minutes.

After my pep talk, I decided to try ringing myself, and tie a knot in the rope once I had finished.

My knot-tying was a lot less successful than the ringing, the slack rope tumbling to my feet after each failed attempt.

However, this is proven to be an activity for all ages, from eight to 80, and the children had no trouble showing me how it was done.

Alan Regin, one of the world’s best bell ringers and Steward of the Rolls of Honour, Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, said more young people should learn.

He said: “I was a youngster when I started ringing peals - that’s the more advanced bell ringing for extended periods and wherever I rang, I was often the youngest bell ringer in the band.

“Now, close to half a century later, I am, on occasions, still the youngest, and this concerns me.

“There are many benefits of bell ringing. You instantly feel part of a team as you learn together and ring for community, church and national events.

“It helps keep my body fit and my mind active.”

Ringing Remembers is funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government in collaboration with Big Ideas Community Interest Company and the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.

During World War One, the ringing of church bells was restricted. When the armistice was declared on November 11 1918, church bells across the UK were rung in celebration.

They are now recognisable sounding out wedding celebrations and morning services.

It is hoped in this day, youngsters will continue to value this beautiful art.

I would say the children at St Mary’s were showing me the ropes, as opposed to learning them. I could see why it was so appealing to them, having a grasp on the technical stuff is something to be proud of.

They took to it like naturals. As for me? Not so much.

If you are interested in trying bell ringing, email ringingremembers@bigideascompany.org.

The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers will connect you to a bell ringing teacher.

It takes around three months to learn to ring and classes are usually once a week and generally free.

All new recruits in 2018 will receive a Ringing Remembers badge for participation.