Tower Talk 19 - the newsletter by ringers, for ringers

The government has published its roadmap out of lockdown and a third of the UK population have now been vaccinated. That means that we could well be starting to ring again in the UK. Soon. I have a spring in my step again and I’m not the only one. This learn-to-ring enquiry landed in my inbox over the weekend:

“With the lockdown hopefully ending soon I feel a new lease of life, and what better way to celebrate than with the sound of bells! I would like to find somewhere in London I can go to ring bells and express my joy to be alive. Is there any way you could arrange this?”

So, it’s not only us who’ve missed the bells. The absence of ringing has made churches and communities realise how much the sound of bells is part of the local and national landscape.Absence truly has made the heart grow fonder.

This edition of Tower Talk is packed with stories and tips about carrying on ringing when we can’t physically ring together – handbells, Ringing Room, Ding, 50 Ringing Things – and a desire not to stop doing them when ringing resumes.

The ringing world has opened up. You can ring anything, with anyone, anywhere in the world now. The people who made this happen were recognised in last week’s ART Awards. And what an outpouring of thanks went out on social media after the event. I add my own. Thank you Bryn and Leland (Ringing Room), Laura Goodin, Graham John (Handbell Stadium), David Norman (Ding), and the eBell Team. I know online ringing isn’t for everyone, but these people have kept so many ringers sane and happy, in such difficult times. Amazing people, ringers.

» Download the March 2021 Edition of Tower Talk

Alongside its regular features, this edition of Tower Talk includes:

  • ART Awards – the Winners
  • Can Online Practices Improve our Ringing?
  • Ringing Room One Year On
  • Puzzle Corner
  • Hats off to Sonia!
  • Meet Wheatley – the Ringing Room Bot
  • A Little and Often Does You Good
  • Patmore Towers – a Tale of Three Sisters
  • The Virtual Steeplekeeper
  • Discovering Ding
  • The Badgers Handbell Ringers
  • The Peripatetic Student
  • Good News from Australia
  • 50 Ringing Things – Success for Max
  • Debbie’s Online Experience
  • Ringing Room Takeaways
  • Handbell Ringing Adventures
  • A Celebration of Handbells
  • Answers to Puzzles
  • Follow Aberavon’s Example

If you have enjoyed Tower Talk why not forward this edition to your ringing friends so that they feel part of this amazing community which stretches right around the world.

Ruth Suggett
Editor, Tower Talk