THE UK is a more secular place than it was – and certainly fewer of us attend church regularly any more. But the sound of church bells is still deeply embedded in our cultural and personal lives. During war and peace, at times of remembrance, for national and personal celebrations - and on the hour every hour from the most famous bell of them all, Big Ben - bells provide a soundtrack that is familiar to all of us from an early age. Sometimes the bells are a warning; mostly they are a call to come together.
However, like any other familiar part of British life, there is no guarantee that the sound of bells, and the men and women who ring them, will be around forever, which is why, ahead of its conference in Edinburgh, the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers is looking at ways of attracting new people into taking up a hobby, interest and passion with that most curious of names: campanology.
Chris Mew, the president of the central council, says the problem is that bell-ringing is competing with many other hobbies for the attention of those who are looking for a stimulating activity outside of work, particularly young people. “The finding of new recruits,” he says, “battles against the vast array of alternative interests available and limited time in a busy world.”
However, the good news is that bell-ringing is not the preserve of a small band of eccentrics or just for men in beards – in fact, it attracts a broad range of people from widely different backgrounds. There are also campanologists of all ages, and although most bells are still in church buildings, there is no need to be religious or a church-goer to take part in the activity.
Perhaps taking a modern look at the old custom will help attract new followers – bell-ringing is good for your general fitness, for instance; it is also a good way of socialising.
But the main appeal of bell-ringing will probably remain what it has always been: a chance to participate in but also perpetuate a tradition that is at least 4,000 years old. Fewer people may heed the call to church these days, but there can’t be many who would want the country’s bells to fall silent forever.
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