Bell Ringers
Bell ringing has been a feature of church life in Winterton for more than 300 years — find out how you could get involved.
Five of the six bells currently in use at Winterton were recast in 1734 from six older bells. For more about our bells, see Church Bells.
Bellringing Practice
Our ringers meet in the Tower each Thursday from 7.30pm to 9pm for practice. On the last Thursday of each month they join the ringers at Burton for a joint area practice. The only exceptions to this pattern are Holy Week and other special events.
Who Can Join?
Most people are capable of learning to ring the bells, as long as they are reasonably fit. Young people from age 10 are welcome, as long as they have a reasonable height and stature. You need to be ready to learn over several weeks, then commit to practice nights, and be ready to ring on Sundays or at other times when needed — for example, at weddings. New recruits are always needed to grow the team and ensure that there will be ringers for our bells in the future!
Want to know more? You can always ask to come along and just have a look on a practice night to see what happens before you make up your mind — just ring Paul on 01724 732689 to let him know in advance.
What Is Involved?
A bell ringer controls the bell by a rope which winds round the wheel on which the bell is fixed, so that the bell can be held still or made to ring. Change ringing is when a team rings a set of bells in a continuously changing pattern — a team activity which requires concentration and good coordination, and makes a glorious sound too! For an animation showing how a bell is controlled, see this animation, and for an animation showing how our six bells are rung in sequence, so that each is heard in turn, see this second animation.
Why Learn to Ring?
- You will have a lot of fun
- You will learn a traditional skill
- You will keep fit, mentally and physically
- You will be of service to our church and our community
- Your services will always be in demand!
See and Hear Our Bells
You can see our Tower Captain in action and hear our church bells rung during a practice session in a video filmed by one of our own bellringers and shared on YouTube. Some of our archive photos, including views of ringing in 1995, were taken by Steve Stubbins.
Want to Listen to Other Church Bells?
Each week, BBC Radio 4’s Bells on Sunday broadcasts the bells of a different church. You can find out more about bell ringing by visiting the websites of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers and the Lincoln Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers, and hear many different recordings via the Library of Bell Recordings.