Fiona (one of our members) had already been ringing for a few years and invited me to a bellringing outing with the Hendon ringers. This is a day out, often in the countryside, where a group of ringers get an opportunity to ring at some different churches. I had never had any interest in bellringing before that, but it sounded like a nice day out and included a pub lunch.
On the outing I was persuaded to come along the following Wednesday night to try ringing a bell ... I have been going ever since for the last 30-odd years.
Initially you are faced with the challenge of controlling a quarter of a ton of metal swinging through 360° at the end of a 60 foot rope. The real challenge though is learning to ring methods with other people. Later comes the satisfaction of successfully ringing for longer periods, of up to 3 hours, with a band of ringers. I am now the "Ringing Master" at Hendon.
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