LEIGH'S BELLS RING OUT 

 Whilst church bells’ primary purpose is to call people to worship, they are also rung in celebration, commemoration and remembrance. 

Change ringing is a uniquely English tradition of ringing a set of tuned bells in a specific, mathematically-determined sequence, producing a continuous, cascading sound rather than a conventional melody. It originated in the late 16th or early 17th century, with the development of full-circle bell wheels allowing ringers greater control over the bells' speed and timing. This control allows for subtle adjustments in the intervals between successive bell strikes, enabling the bells to change their positions in the ringing order. 

During World War II the bells were silenced, only to be rung as a warning if enemy troops invaded. They then rang out joyfully to celebrate the peace. You may have heard Leigh’s bells ringing on 8th May this year to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. 

Similarly all towers have been encouraged to ring on 15th August to mark the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day, and the Leigh bellringers joined others around the country to do so. 

We also ring to mark significant local events, most recently as a record of thanks to David Bennie on his retirement, for his long service to the church and the village. The band rang a quarter peal on 25th July, which is a continuous period of ringing taking around 45 minutes. Hopefully we provided a musical end to the cricket match on the Green too. 

If you would like to see what happens in the belfry or are maybe thinking of learning to ring, 

then please contact David or Frances James at [email protected]