CLEAR AS A BELL

I was delighted to read the article on bell-ringing in a recent issue of Woman’s Weekly [21 December]. I am a third generation bell-ringer, alongside my brother. My maternal grandfather was a bell-ringer, as was my uncle. I attempted to learn in my late teens and was unsuccessful, but it was always an ambition and I finally learnt to ring in the early noughties. It’s an activity where age is not a barrier.

I love bell-ringing as it helps to keep a traditional art going, I get to meet people I would not normally meet, and just climbing the stairs to the belfry helps to keep me fit, not to mention the mental workout at following a method or call changes and the coordination required to ring. The first rounds we ring as a bride leaves the church on her wedding day sound wonderful and full of joy, in contrast with the mournful, muffled bells on Remembrance Sunday. Rachel Ryan, Hindon