On Saturday, 19 July the tower again welcomed visitors for the second time this year. Each one of the four, one-hour tours was fully booked. The visitors were guided along the clerestory, learning briefly about the history of the east window, the ceiling and the organ, before continuing the climb into the tower and the ringing chamber. Here they learned about the history of the bells and bell ringing and were able to watch a demonstration of ringing. They were then guided further up the tower to the bell chamber to see the bells. The visits are always very popular and generate significant income for the Cathedral.
On the same day, four of the bell ringers completed the crossing of the Morecambe Bay sands with the King’s Guide, Michael Wilson. The appointment of a royal guide to the sands began in 1548 and has continued to this day. This is the third year that the bell ringers have crossed the sands to raise money for Jigsaw and the Eden Valley Hospice. Sadly, this year also marked the death of our Head Verger, James Armstrong, who spent his final days in the care of the Hospice. It seems appropriate to dedicate this walk, and the funding raised for the Hospice, to his memory. The final total raised in memory of James, including Gift Aid, is £1026.25.
