A cross-county border collaboration!

The brand new band of ‘Saltby Ringers’ are still progressing well. 

It was only the middle of March when the 8 villagers first ascended the tower of St Wulfram’s church in Grantham to see what it was all about. They had aspirations of ‘ringing for the King’ in their home village, in about 6 weeks. Never say never!

A group of Grantham area ringers set about teaching them and the enthusiasm on both parts paid off. Intensive sessions followed for several weeks, including tied bell practice on consecutive days.

“Our first night of training at St. Wulfram’s church in Grantham, we all looked like frightened rabbits caught in headlights. After seven weeks of training, lead by David and his fellow bellringers, all eight of us are still enthusiastic and reached our goal to ring our new King in on his Coronation.”

They rang at 7 towers on the Lincolnshire/Leicestershire border on Coronation day before returning to Saltby the next day to open their village celebrations where again the experienced ringers either rung one stroke with a learner or ‘filled in’ on other bells along with other fully trained ringers to help with stability. 

More quotes include:

“It’s not easy!“

“We’ve found a new hobby, made new friends, and have had such a fantastic time and are really looking forward to learning more.”

“Couldn’t have done it without the commitment patience and dedication of our instructors”

“Can’t put into words how much we have enjoyed the last 7 weeks.’’

“It’s been a lot of fun and we look forward to improving our techniques further.’’

“Our trainers have generously given their valuable time and expertise to train us. They have all been friendly and supportive. The whole experience has been fantastic, culminating in us ringing seven towers for the Coronation. We couldn’t have done this without the experience, patience and kindness of our trainers. We would like to give a big thank you to you all and look forward to future bell ringing sessions.”

The team members continue their training in Grantham on a Tuesday and Sunday and are now taking part in some of the evensong ringing at Grantham and are looking forward to more ringing at Saltby. They are all gaining confidence and becoming more independent and are all delighted with their new hobby.

Huge congratulations all round!

Liz Carter