The Cathedral Bell Ringing Team meet regularly, and this update has been written by Ron East, Tower Captain:
There has been a lot of teaching and learning taking place in the ringing room at Carlisle Cathedral. Eleven Cathedral ringers have achieved at least one of the ART Levels in bell ringing within the first six months of 2024. Please see the photo below.
ART is the Association of Ringing Teachers. Six of our more experienced ringers are accredited by ART as teachers of bell ringing. The ART scheme provides a structured teaching programme from Level One, Bell Handling to Level Five, Change Ringer with certificates awarded as each ringer achieves that level.
Carlisle Cathedral has 33 tower members so all 12 bells have been rung for services every Sunday in 2024. Recruitment is paused at the moment while we work with our newest members to further develop their ringing skills.
There can be as many as nine teaching sessions in a week but the bells, of which there are thirteen newly installed as a millennium project, are rarely heard during these sessions. The clappers of the bells are tied to silence them but each bell is fitted with a sensor that sends a signal to a computer in the ringing room. The computer plays the sound of the bell inside the ringing room through loud speakers allowing the learner to both handle the bell and hear it. No sound is heard outside the tower so local businesses, shops and residents are not disturbed!
The bells are well used but the tower has a team of steeple keepers led by the diocesan bells advisor who maintain the bells, inspect them for safe working and repair or replace ropes.
Our ringers are also working with towers nearby, teaching new ringers and supporting the ringing at Brampton, Thursby and Wigton churches and occasionally at towers further away including Brough, Kirkby Stephen, Shap and Bampton. The tower also hosts training sessions on our bells on occasional Saturdays for ringers from other Guild towers in the diocese.
